


Lost and Found

by AJ_Pastel_Punk



Series: The Hotchner-Rossi Family [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Autistic Spencer Reid, Depression, Emily is in her goth phase, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Football Player Derek Morgan, Foster Care, Gen, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Hurt Derek Morgan, Kid Fic, Kid Jennifer Jareau, Kid Spencer Reid, M/M, Parent Aaron Hotchner, Parent David Rossi, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Sexual Abuse, Sick Derek, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Teen Derek Morgan, Teen Emily Prentiss, Teen Penelope Garcia, Therapy, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-02-23 05:16:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 26,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23006329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJ_Pastel_Punk/pseuds/AJ_Pastel_Punk
Summary: After his father's death four years ago Derek found himself getting into trouble until he found the community center and football. Derek found himself a victim of sexual assault and abuse. When his mother and sisters are killed in a car crash his life changes, hopefully for the better.A Derek centric Criminal Minds ficPlease comment, I love reading what you have to say and it really helps me to stay motivated
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/David Rossi, Derek Morgan & Original Male Character(s), Derek Morgan & The BAU Team, The BAU Team - Relationship
Series: The Hotchner-Rossi Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654054
Comments: 76
Kudos: 288





	1. Lost

Derek Morgan stood next to his distant family members in front of the graves of his mother and sisters. He hadn’t been there when it happened, but he remembered the image so vividly. He remembered the blood, he remembered every shard of glass. He had only seen one picture and it was only once but he didn’t need to see it again.

His aunt couldn’t afford to take him in. She’d apologized over and over, each time in tears. Derek assured her each time that it was alright. He understood, but everything wasn’t alright. Soon he would be with a bunch of strangers, ready to betray his trust and ruin him in the same way Buford was. 

Before Derek was sent away Carl Buford came to see him. To “make sure he was going to be okay”. Every time that man was near, every time Derek heard his voice, heard his name, something inside of him ached, it tore itself apart, it screamed out in pain.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know where to go. His family was gone and his trust was broken. He was lost and he didn't know what he could do.

\---

David Rossi and Aaron Hotchner had been fostering and adopting kids for quite a few years now. They’d brought four wonderful kids into their family already. 

Emily was now sixteen, she’d only been with them for just over a year. Penelope had just turned thirteen, she’d been with them for just under three years. Jennifer, or JJ as she preferred to be called was eleven, turning twelve soon, and lived with the two men only six months longer than Penelope. The youngest, Spencer, was nine years old and had been with Aaron and David since he was two years old.

Just recently they came across fourteen-year-old Derek Morgan. The boy had been through two foster homes already. He needed help, but all of their kids had needed help. He was just lost and they were going to help him get found.


	2. The Beginning

Derek sat in the very back of a dark SUV. He loosely hugged his knees to his chest, silently staring out the window. He watched the buildings come and go as they drove through the city. The buildings soon turned to open fields and trees. The sun had soon set and the images Derek’s eyes had followed were no more than blackened shapes against a black backdrop.

Derek had been told the two men's names but he honestly couldn't remember them. He didn't really care to either. He'd be reminded soon enough and then he'd be gone again.

No one said a word. Not Derek. Not the driver. Not the man in the passenger seat. They just sat in silence.

Derek didn’t know if the quiet vehicle made him feel more or less comfortable. They didn’t speak to him. He didn’t speak to them. It was calm and it was chaos. Derek didn’t feel like talking, but he had so much to say, he didn’t feel like listening either, but there was a lot he needed to hear. 

They passed through another town, then it was back to the dark figures on the side of the road. The drive seemed to be lasting longer than it should have been, but they continued their journey. They passed through yet another town.

Derek would have drifted to sleep if the silence hadn’t left him alone with his thoughts. Instead, he sat awake watching the moon that seemed to be following after them. It was the only light he could see apart from the headlights of passing cars. The sky was covered almost entirely in clouds, leaving the light source he followed dim and shapeless.

The car took a turn down a dark road, not far outside of the last town. Up the road to a large house, where all the lights were out, all but the floodlights by the garage and front door. 

Once the car was parked inside of the garage the older man who had been sitting in the passenger seat said something, “Welcome home kiddo.” He spoke quietly but clearly.

Derek is sure he would have been startled by the sudden sound if it hadn’t been so nice to hear. There was something about the way he spoke that relaxed him. This was new. His relationship with most men was rough as of late. His fear would often manifest itself as disrespect or anger, often leading to the same treatment being put on him.

With a moment of hesitation, Derek prepared to head inside. He grabbed his things from the space next to him. They’d offered to put his things into the trunk, but he refused, he’d rather his stuff stayed with him. With his bag slung over his shoulder and the box of a few other things in his hands, he followed the two men into the house.

“Would you like to see your room first or just set your stuff here and see the house?” The taller man asked.

“I don’t really care.” Derek answered in a mumble.

“Let’s take your things up to your room.” The older man suggested, “I think we can wait until we’ve all had some sleep before we do the full house tour.”

Derek nodded in agreeance. He followed the two men to a hallway, all but one of the doors had a decorative letter hanging from it. The taller man opened a door with a plain white D and gestured for Derek to enter.

The walls were completely bare, a dull light grey color. The bed was basic, a simple set of blankets and a pillow, made perfectly, with no wrinkles or unsightly folds. A small bookshelf sat in the corner of the room with a few books in another there was a wooden desk with a cup of pencils and a lamp. A dresser was set up near the closet for his clothes.

“It’s not a lot right now, but we can go shopping soon to pick up something for your room.” The taller man explained.

“It’s been a long day, you should get some sleep. Our room is just down the hall. Feel free to get one of us if you need anything.” The older man told Derek.

“Okay.” Derek replied, setting his things down in front of the bed.

He heard the door click shut and began going through his things. He searched through the cardboard box failing to find what he was looking for. He rummaged through his duffel bag, still not finding what he was looking for.

“Damn it.” Derek cursed to himself.

Without any more attempts to find the lost object Derek climbed onto the bed. He sat with his legs crossed taking in the room a second time. Everything was silent and his thoughts began to race again. He didn’t have the option to say them this time. He resituated himself to lay down on his back with his hands resting on his chest. 

After a period of time alone with his mind, Derek gave up on lying in bed. He faced the digital alarm clock on the bedside table. It was only one forty-three.

Derek climbed out of bed and rummaged through his bag. He found his small flashlight and quietly opened the small window above the desk. He looked over to the door and walked over to it. He opened it and peaked into the hallway, no other lights were on. With that assurance that he wouldn’t be caught, Derek closed the door and turned off the light in the room. He clicked the flashlight on, climbed onto the desk and then out the window.


	3. Missing

Aaron woke to the sunshine peeking through his window. It was only six-thirty, but he wasn’t the only one up. Dave was already awake, sitting up and reading a book next to him. Aaron climbed out of bed before saying anything, more concerned with checking on Derek than anything else.

“Goodmorning.” Dave smiled at his husband.

“Morning.” Aaron replied, pulling on a t-shirt, “I’m going to go check on Derek.” He told the other man, already opening the bedroom door.

Dave shot the taller man a confused look, “It’s six-thirty, kid is probably still asleep.”

“I’d rather go check on him now and have him be asleep than have him sitting awake unsure of where anything is or what he can and can’t do.” Aaron explained.

Aaron quietly walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the door marked with a wooden D. He knocked quietly, hoping not to wake Derek if he was still sleeping. When there was no reply he opened the door slightly to check on the fourteen-year-old. His heart dropped when he saw the room vacant, with the window wide open.

Aaron nearly yelled, “Dave, Derek’s not in his room and the window’s open.”

“Hey, hey, calm down. You check the house I’ll look around outside.” Dave put his book down and climbed out of bed, quickly throwing on a pair of shoes, “If we can’t find him then we can panic.”

The husbands split up to look for Derek. Aaron began searching the whole house, checking the other kids’ rooms, the family room, the kitchen, but he came up empty handed. Derek was nowhere to be found.

His mind was finally being put on ease when Dave stepped inside of the house, “I found him.”

Aaron followed Dave outside, where he was able to see the boy laying on the roof, looking up at the sky. He helped his husband carry a ladder from the shed.

“It’s a good thing it didn’t get too cold last night.” Dave sighed, propping the ladder against the house.

“Be careful.” Aaron watched his husband climb up to the roof with concern.

Dave proceeded with a bit more caution, not wanting the younger man to worry and more, “I will, Aaron.”

“Make sure Derek’s safe too.” Aaron called.

Dave carefully made his way over to the teenage boy. Derek didn’t notice his presence at first, he just stared up at the clouds. He looked somewhat content with his current situation, but it was obvious something was bothering the kid.

“Hey Kiddo.” Dave spoke just loud enough for his foster son to hear.

His voice startled Derek, causing him to jerk up into a sitting position. Derek’s slightly panicked expression didn’t change when he saw who was standing there. He’d prefer this man to be the one to find him over some but he still didn’t want him there, he didn’t want anyone to be there.

“It’s alright, it’s just me.” Dave assured him, “You know you almost gave Aaron a heart attack. What are you doing up here?” He asked, sitting down a little ways away from the kid.

Derek pulled his knees up to his chest, “Thinking.”

“Ah. Well, next time could you try to do your thinking inside of the house, or at least tell someone you're going to the roof?” Dave rubbed the young teen’s shoulder, Derek didn’t respond, he just stared ahead at nothing in particular, “Are you alright Derek?”

“I’m fine.” Derek mumbled, dropping his head slightly.

Dave didn’t believe him in the slightest, but he wasn’t going to push the kid, “Alright. If you ever want to talk, we’re here to listen.” He explained to the still slightly dazed boy next to him.

“Yeah, sure.” Derek scoffed, then resting his head on his knees.

Dave stood up, making it clear to the boy that he was leaving, “I’m going to head inside. Come down soon, we need to pick up the other kids from a friend’s place in a few hours.” He paused then turned back to Derek, “Be careful up here. We don’t want you to get hurt”

The fourteen year old sat alone on the roof listening to the wind and birds. He returned to laying on his back, hoping that he would not be pulled back to reality and his thoughts again.

Derk walked through the front door, not really bothering to be quiet. He had no real reason to come back inside, he’d rather still be out there. It wasn’t silent, there was just enough noise to drown out his thoughts, but he didn’t have to worry about judgement or harsh comments.

Aaron noticed that the teen was in the same oversized jeans and sweatshirt as the night before. He chose not to mention it. Derek was a teenager after all and he’d just gone through a big change in his life, whether or not he’s wearing the same outfit probably didn’t even cross his mind.

“How’d you sleep last night?” Aaron asked.

“Fine.” Derek grumbled.

Aaron sighed at the moody and untruthful response. It was clear that the young boy hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep in at least two days. Exhaustion was written all over his face, but it was clear that he had no intention of going to sleep anytime soon.

Aaron offered Derek an apple, “Would you like something to eat?”

“Not hungry.” Derek replied.

Aaron set the apple down, “Well, you need to eat. When you get hungry feel free to help yourself to something.”

Derek nodded in agreeance, but he had no intention of eating anytime soon. He headed back to the bedroom he’d be staying in. He didn’t say another word to either of the men.

When he reached the room Derek debated going back outside,but decided against it. Instead he began to search through the books on the bookshelf. None of them seemed overly interesting to the teen. He found a book nonetheless, then sat in the corner of the room, where he’d be able to see anyone who came in and began reading.


	4. Comfort

Aaron opened the passenger side door of the SUV. He grabbed the laptop that Dave had sent him out to retrieve and was just about to leave when something caught his eye. He closed the passenger side door then opened the back door and picked up the item from the back of the vehicle.

Dave looked up from the work on his desk when he heard the garage door close. Aaron walked back into the house with an old brown teddy bear. The fur was slightly matted, the eyes were a bit scratched up, and one of the arms had been very poorly stitched back on. Dave gave Aaron a slightly confused look. He’d never seen the bear before so it obviously didn’t belong to Emily, Spencer, JJ, or Penelope.

“Where’d you get that?” Dave asked after his husband placed the laptop on the desk.

“It was in the back of the SUV. I think it’s Derek’s.” Aaron answered.

Dave smiled, “So I wasn’t the only one who left their things in the car last night.”

“I guess not.” Aaron replied.

He left his husband to his work and headed for their new foster son’s room. He knocked on the door but there was no reply. Not even a small shuffling from inside the room to indicate a person being inside. He knocked again, this time a bit louder.

“Derek? Can I come in?” Aaron asked.

There was once again no response. Aaron knocked again awaiting even the slightest reaction but there was nothing. He opened the door out of curiosity and concern. The room was empty, Derek’s stuff still packed up by the bed, a closed book sat on the bedside table. The window was still closed this time, Aaron was thankful for that. 

He returned to Dave’s office and knocked on the open door. Dave looked up from his work and gave his attention to the younger man. He had a few ideas of what this could be about when he saw the bear still tucked under Aaron’s arm.

“Have you seen Derek recently? He’s not in his room.” The younger man asked. 

“I think he might be in the family room.” Dave gestured to the other room, “If he’s not there, I’d check to see if he got on to the roof again.”

Aaron fortunately listened to Dave’s suggestion and found Derek in the family room. The teen was looking at the paintings,drawings and other pictures on the wall. He noticed Aaron and sat down on one end of the sofa, clearly expecting some sort of conversation or lecture.

“This was in the back of the SUV, I thought I should return it.” Aaron handed the brown bear to Derek.

“Yeah, thanks.” Derek grumbled, tossing the bear to the side, making it clear that he did not care about the item’s return.

Aaron sighed but moved past the action, he patted Derek’s shoulder, “Have you eaten anything yet?” He asked.

“Not hungry.” Derek jerked his shoulder away from the man.

“Are you sure? You didn’t eat any breakfast.” Aaron asked, not wanting the boy to go hungry, “I could make you a sandwich, or we could go out to get something?”

“I’m fine.” Derek replied.

Aaron didn’t try to push Derek anymore, this was a big change he was worked up. If he continued to refuse food Aaron wouldn’t stand for it, and wouldn’t give up on getting the boy to eat something.

Derek waited silently for the man to leave, trying to make it clear that he wanted to be alone. Eventually, he heard light footsteps leave the room and looked up to make sure he was actually by himself. Once he was certain that Aaron was gone he snatched the bear from the other end of the couch and hugged it to his chest.

He buried his face into the fabric of the bear. It wasn’t soft, the plush feel had been long gone by the time Derek obtained the bear. He took in it’s scent. The comforting smell of his old home had since been washed from the bear by his first foster mom when a dog had managed to snatch it from his bag. Derek pretended that the bear still smelled like home, but even without it the bear still brought him the comfort he so desperately needed.

Aaron checked the time on his watch, it was nearly time to leave to pick up the other kids. He told his husband, who then insisted that he would get Derek. Aaron went to grab himself some shoes and the car keys. 

“Are the two of you ready to go?” Aaron called out to Dave and Derek from the front door.

Dave poked his head around the corner, “Be quiet.” He hushed the taller man and gestured for him to come over. 

Aaron silently made his way over to the entrance of the family room without question. He was greeted with the sight of Derek asleep in the corner of the couch. The stuffed bear was held close to the boy’s chest and he was curled up around it, almost defensively.

Aaron smiled at what he saw, it was about time Derek got some sleep, “Do you think we should leave him while we get the kids?”

“One of us should stay, just in case he wakes up.” Dave answered, “I’m just glad he’s getting sleep. I swear he’d been awake for at least two days.”

“We’ll let him sleep then. He can meet the kids when he wakes up.” Aaron replied, “I’ll pick them up from Jason’s house and you can stay here to get some more work done.”

Dave agreed with his husband then picked up the teen, making sure the bear didn’t fall from the boy’s grasp. Derek shifted slightly in the man’s arms. Once Dave had the boy situated in his arms he headed for Derek’s bedroom.

“Are you good? Do you want me to take him?” Aaron asked, concerned for both his husband and foster son.

“I’ve got him, Aaron.” Dave rolled his eyes at the younger man.

“Are you sure?” Aaron continued.

“The kid only weighs ninety-five pounds.” Dave replied.

“He’s one hundred twenty pounds.” Aaron corrected the older man.

Dave chuckled, “Oh forgive me.”

It didn’t take long to reach the plainly decorated room. Dave set Derek down on his bed and tucked him in under the blankets. Derek curled in on himself again once he had been set down. Aaron waited for his husband to exit the room before he turned off the lights and exited himself, quietly closing the door behind him.


	5. Siblings

Derek woke up with his head against a pillow, tucked in under a blanket. He didn’t remember falling asleep, he especially didn’t remember being in bed. The last thing he remembered was sitting on the couch, he was holding the bear, he remembered that part. He no longer cared about how he ended up asleep in his bed when he found his bear still in his arms.

Derek finally looked up at the alarm clock next to him. It was just past five in the morning. He sighed and climbed out of bed, placing the bear on top of the blankets. He wandered out of his room to the kitchen. He desperately needed something to eat. The day before he genuinely hadn’t felt hungry and now hadn’t eaten in well over twenty-four hours.

He stood in the kitchen looking around for something to eat. He never actually got shown the house, not that he really wanted anyone to show it to him. So he stood in the kitchen, unsure of where to look for some breakfast. He could grab some fruit out of the bowl on the counter, but he didn’t really want that.

“Hi.” A voice called out quietly, it wasn’t Dave or Aaron, it sounded like a young girl.

Derek jumped at the sudden noise and snapped around quickly to see what it was. A girl, around his own age, was standing just outside of the kitchen. Her blonde hair was pulled into two low ponytails, she wore a pink pajama shirt and purple bottoms decorated in colorful animals.

“You’re Derek, right?” The girl asked and Derek nodded, “I’m Penelope.” she smiled, “What are you doing up so early?”

“Looking for something to eat.” Derek answered.

“Oh, I can help with that. What did you want, fruit, cereal, pop tarts, toast?” Penelope began rummaging through the pantry.

Derek followed the girl, “Anything is fine.” He replied.

Penelope gasped, “We could make pancakes!” She exclaimed.

Derek laughed at her enthusiasm and began helping her gather ingredients. Penelope took charge while they were cooking. Derek would help out but he let her do most of the work, he didn’t actually know how to cook anyway.

Penelope began asking questions when the pancakes were actually cooking, “So how old are you? I’m pretty sure Dad and Papa told us, but I can’t remember for sure.”

“I’m fourteen.” Derek looked up from watching the pancakes, “How about you?”

“I’m thirteen. Emily’s sixteen, JJ is eleven, and Spencer is nine.” Penelope answered, giving more information than she had actually been asked for, “They probably won’t be awake for a while. Emily likes to sleep in, and the other two just don’t like to wake up at five in the morning. I don’t either, I just couldn’t sleep last night because I was excited, so when I heard you I got out of bed.”

“Excited for what?” Derek laughed.

He had no idea what could be so exciting that someone wouldn’t sleep. He understood not being able to sleep. He had many restless nights. But out of excitement, that was new.

“Meeting you.” Penelope smiled, “You were asleep when we got home, so we couldn’t meet you then.”

Derek couldn’t help but smile, that faded quickly when he smelt the pancakes burning, “Oh Shit.” He cursed quickly moving the pancakes to a plate.

Penelope giggled, “Maybe I should be in charge of flipping the pancakes.” She suggested.

“Yeah. I’m a horrible cook.” Derek laughed too, “One time my sisters had to call the fire department when I tried to cook.”

He smiled sadly but quickly brushed off the pained feeling in his chest. Penelope looked at him a little concerned but didn’t say anything. They returned to making pancakes, luckily not burning any more of them. They left out a plate of all the extra pancakes on the counter for the rest of the family and made themselves each a plate.

“What’s all this?” Aaron asked when he entered the kitchen, tying the tie around his neck.

“Good morning, Daddy.” Penelope smiled, “We made pancakes for everyone.”

“It was mostly Penelope.” Derek added, before taking a bite of pancake.

Aaron rubbed Derek’s shoulder, but only for a few seconds, “I’m glad to see that you’re eating today.”

Derek just nodded and continued eating. Aaron made himself a plate and sat down with the two teenagers. The man ate quickly and told both of the kids goodbye before leaving for work. Penelope and Derek just continued about their business.

Penelope began preparing more plates of pancakes once she’d finished her own. Most of them were pretty normal, syrup, maybe butter or peanut butter, but one was just a mountain of sugar. It was covered in chocolate chips, syrup and whipped cream, the toppings alone wouldn’t seem like a lot but they were all piled high on the tiny stack of two pancakes.

A little boy wandered into the kitchen, his simi-long brown hair was a mess and covered a lot of his face. He sat down at the table, still looking half asleep. Penelope set down the plate of overly sugary pancakes in front of the little boy. He perked up a bit when he saw the pancakes and dug into them. By the time he was only half done, there was more pancake and chocolate on his face than had gotten into his mouth.

Derek handed the boy a napkin, “You can’t inhale your food, Kid.” He laughed.

“Thank you.” The little boy took the napkin from Derek and cleaned off his face, “Technically, I could inhale my food, however, the result would not be good. I would most likely choke.”

Derek didn’t know how to reply to that. Obviously he knew that he would choke, that’s why he wanted the kid to slow down. He just hadn’t expected that response from a nine-year-old.

“I’m Spencer.” The kid added when Derek didn’t reply.

“Derek.” The teen smiled back.

The three kids were soon joined by two more girls. The first had slightly messy blonde hair that reached just below her shoulders. It was easy for Derek to figure out that she was JJ. The other girl arrived a little while after. She wasn’t dressed for the day, but she obviously put a little effort into her appearance before she came out for breakfast. She wore black eyeliner and had done her hair at least slightly. She looked a little older than him, so that was definitely Emily.

They all seemed alright to Derek. Emily tried to act all edgy, though he could tell she really wasn’t. JJ was probably the most normal of all of them, she was really nice and none of it was fake. Derek was sure there wasn’t a single part of that girl that was even the slightest bit bad. Spencer was very, very smart, he knew things Derek wouldn’t be learning for a couple of years, but he didn’t really stop talking, ever. Penelope was her own person that’s for sure. She was bright and cheerful, and not just in her fashion, everything about her screamed joy. Something about that immeasurable joy and compassion reached out and grabbed Derek, he was stuck with her now. Even if he didn’t stay here long he was stuck with Penelope, and he was okay with that.


	6. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? Probably never going to happen again, but yay!

Derek heard a knock on his door around ten in the morning. It wasn’t until he was pulled out of his thoughts that he realized he’d been crying. He put down the pictures he’d been looking at, setting them carefully in the drawer of the bedside table. Before moving he sniffled and roughly wiped the tears off his cheeks with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He got up to open the door, he found Penelope standing outside, smiling ear to ear.

“Get your shoes on.” Penelope told him, giving no further explanation.

Derek had learned quickly that you don’t argue with Penelope. He grabbed his converse out of his closet and threw them on, not bothering to tie them. When he returned to the doorway Penelope grabbed his wrist and started pulling him toward the garage.

“Whoa, Princess, what are we doing?” Derek asked.

“Going to the mall.” Penelope answered.

Derek stopped in his tracks, “Pen, I don’t-”

“Your shoes are already on, we’re already at the garage, let’s go.” Penelope opened the garage door and hopped in the car.

Derek followed her, finding all of the other kids already in the car. He sat next to Penelope and waited out the drive to the mall. He really didn’t want to go, he didn’t like shopping much and as far as he was concerned he didn’t need anything. When they reached the mall Dave stopped them before entering handing a credit card to Emily.

"Pick out whatever you’d like, just don’t bankrupt me.” Dave explained to Derek, “I’ll be doing some work at a cafe nearby. In two hours I want you to meet me at the food court. If you’re done sooner, give me a call. Emily, I’m trusting you to watch your siblings.”

“Sure Pops.” Emily replied, not looking up from her phone.

Dave nodded to the kids. He left for the cafe where he’d be doing his work. Once the adult was out of view Emily handed the credit card to Derek. The younger teen was extremely confused, why would she be trusting him with the card? She was left in charge.

“We have some money of our own we want to spend. So meet up by the fountain ten minutes before we need to meet Pops.” Emily explained briefly.

Before Derek could reply the girls were gone and he was left alone with the nine-year-old boy. He looked at the kid and motioned for him to follow. They found a few stores Derek was interested in going to, he found a few pairs of jeans and some t-shirts but didn’t really buy anything else. That is until he saw Spencer eyeing the candy in the checkout.

“Which one do you want?” Derek motioned to the candy display.

Spencer smiled and grabbed a small lollipop. Derek laughed a bit and put the candy on the checkout counter. He opened it for Spencer once they left the store then they continued ‘shopping’ and exploring the mall.

“What’s your teddy bear’s name?” Spencer asked suddenly.

Derek turned to face the little boy, “What are you talking about?”

“The teddy bear you sleep with, I saw it on your bed. What’s its name?” Spencer repeated his question.

“I don’t sleep with it.” Derek huffed and turned around to keep walking.

“Most people who sleep with stuffed animals after childhood do it because it brings them a sense of security and reduces negative feelings, like loneliness and anxiety.” Spencer explained, trying to keep up with the teen.

Derek just rolled his eyes, “I already said I don’t sleep with it.”

“Then why do you have it?” Spencer asked curiously.

“It was my sister’s.” Derek answered plainly.

“Why do you have it?”

Derek sighed, he avoided eye contact with the curious nine-year-old, “She, uh, she passed away a few months ago.”

“Oh.” Spencer felt a little bad for bringing it up, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, it wasn’t your fault.” 

Spencer didn’t say anything else and the two boys continued walking.

“How do we get to the fountain?” Derek asked, noticing the time on a school clock.

Spencer shrugged, “I don’t know. I’ve never been here before.”

“Come on.” Derek motioned for Spencer to follow him, “There’s gotta be a map around here somewhere.”

The boys walked through the mall looking for the fountain or a map of the mall. They were continually coming up empty-handed. Time was passing and Derek was getting worried, they were going to be late. Soon enough there was a map of the mall in sight.

“There are two fountains. They probably meant the big one. What do you think, Kid?” Derek looked around when he didn’t hear a reply, “Spencer? Spencer!”

Derek felt sick to his stomach. He’d just lost a little kid in the mall, with all of these people, someone could take him or worse. He ran around where they’d just been calling out for Spencer. His head was spinning, his heart was pounding. There was no sign of Spencer.

He almost missed it. Out of the corner of his eye, Derek saw a little brown-haired boy. A man knelt down in front of the boy and the two began talking. It was clear that the two didn’t know each other. It only took him a moment to confirm that it was Spencer.

“Spencer!” Derek yelled, running toward the younger boy.

“Derek?” Spencer turned around to see Derek rushing over.

Derek grabbed onto Spencer’s shoulders and guided the boy behind him, he glared at the man, “Stay away from him.”

“Calm down there, Champ, I was just trying to help him. He said that he was lost.” The man replied defensively, “You two know where you’re headed?”

“Back off!” Derek snapped.

The man put his hands up in surrender, “Okay, okay. You kids stay safe.” 

The man clapped Derek on the shoulder and the teen swallowed, trying not to flinch at the contact. Once the man walked away Derek turned to face Spencer. He grabbed onto the kid’s shoulders and knelt down to his level. The look on the older boy’s face told Spencer that he was serious, dead serious.

“What the hell were you thinking kid?” Derek asked, his voice laced with panic.

“I was just asking for help.” Spencer replied, frowning slightly at the tone in Derek’s voice, “More kids are taken by family members and friends than strangers.”

“That doesn’t mean anything, you still don’t know what they could do to you!” Derek yelled, instantly regretting it when the younger boy flinched, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.”

Derek stood up and started heading back in the direction of the map he’d found. Spencer followed Derek closely, looking up at the older boy, waiting for him to say something. Derek didn’t say anything else. 

“Are you mad?” Spencer asked as followed Derek closely.

“No.” Derek shook his head.

“Are you disappointed?”

“No.” Derek repeated.

“You’re walking too fast.” Spencer spoke up, noticing he was falling behind again.

Derek sighed. He crouched down in front of Spencer and invited him to climb onto his back. Spencer was hesitant but accepted the piggyback ride. He wrapped his arms loosely around Derek’s neck, peaking over his shoulder.

Dave searched around the food court for his kids with no luck. They were ten minutes late. He had a feeling that something was wrong, that they weren’t just late. His feeling was confirmed when he found the girls, but Derek and Spencer were nowhere to be found. He approached them and JJ’s face fell, Penelope looked terrified, and Emily froze.

“Where are the boys?” Dave asked, still looking around for the other kids.

“Uh, they’re on their way.” Emily smiled nervously.

Dave sighed in frustration, “I trusted you to watch them, Emily.”

“I know. I’m sorry Pop.” Emily avoided eye contact with Dave.

Dave and the girls continued looking for Derek and Spencer. They were continually coming up empty-handed. The boys weren’t anywhere in the food court or around the fountain. Dave was about to call mall security to help find them and then Aaron to explain that he lost their kids. Then he spotted a familiar Chicago PD sweatshirt.

“Oh, thank God.” Dave sighed and ran over to the boys.

Derek let Spencer off of his back. He prepared for the yelling to start, his eyes clenched shut and he hid as much of himself as possible in his large hoodie. But there was no yelling. Instead, he felt warm and secure. He opened his eyes to find himself wrapped in a tight hug. He closed his eyes again and waited for the comforting warmth to be taken away.

When it was over the words began, “Don’t do that to me. You two just about gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry.” Derek mumbled.

“Let’s finish shopping. This time we’ll all stick together so no one has to explain to your Dad that I died at the mall.” Dave announced to the whole group, making sure that everyone was still with them.


	7. Chores

Over the first week that Derek had spent at the Hotchner-Rossi household, he’d become rather fond of the family dog, Mudgie. He was a good-sized chocolate lab, apparently a hunting dog when duck season came around as Derek had been told. He’d spend a lot of his time out in the yard with the dog, playing fetch with him or even just laying down with him.

Growing up he’d always wanted a dog but they’d never been able to have one, especially not a big dog like Mudgie. He tried not to think about the fact that Mudgie wasn’t really his dog, he was the family’s after all. The first foster family he’d been with had a dog but it was small and yappy. He hadn’t minded it much, but it wouldn’t listen and tried to eat everything. Mudgie was much better in Derek’s opinion. He’d definitely miss this when he leaves.

This morning had not been good, he didn’t want to do anything today. Penelope calling him to try the waffles she made was the only reason he’d forced himself out of bed. Being up didn’t help. Something was nagging him telling him that it should, that there was nothing wrong and he should be happy and have some sort of feeling, but he didn’t. He felt numb and lifeless.

Going out to see Mudgie had been Derek’s final attempt to make it a good day. When he got outside he didn’t feel like playing with the dog. Mudgie didn’t pick up any of his toys to play, he just nudged his head against Derek’s hand. 

He sat in the back yard with the dog’s head in his lap. He wasn’t thinking about anything in particular. His mind was almost completely blank and in a way that was a comforting feeling. He still felt numb, but it was a good kind of numb that he couldn’t really explain.

“You two having fun out here?” Dave’s sudden voice got Derek’s attention to snap right up to him.

Derek let out a breath of air he didn’t realize he’d been holding in. He then looked back down at the now sleeping dog, “Yeah, I guess.”

Dave sat down next to the boy, “Since you’ve been here a couple of days, Aaron and I were thinking that maybe you should have some chores to help out around the house.”

“What do I need to do?” Derek asked, not taking his eyes off of the dog.

"Well, we have the kids do their own laundry and everyone has one day of dishes. All of the kids are expected to keep the family room and the bathrooms clean.” Dave explained briefly, “We can discuss what other tasks you want. We’ll pay you for any additional work you do.”

Derek looked up at the man, “Like what?”

“You could walk Mudgie.” The man suggested, scratching the sleeping dog’s head, “The younger kids aren't strong enough to hold onto his leash, and Emily doesn't really like walking him. I can walk him but it would be nice if I could use that time to work on my books and not have him potentially drag my old ass through the dirt." 

"Sure, I could do that." Derek agreed, stifling a laugh at the last comment as he continued petting the dog’s head.

"He's pretty well leash trained, but sometimes he gets a little excited." Dave explained, “I could show you where I normally take him so you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Alright.” Derek smiled.

He had to admit, he was actually kind of excited about getting to walk Mudgie. It would be nice to get that alone time, well alone with Mudgie, especially if he was getting paid. He loved Mudgie, he could really say that he loved that dog, and he’d gladly spend time with the dog everyday.

Dave had gone inside to tell Aaron where they were going and apparently invited him to come along. Derek didn’t really mind Aaron coming, though he’d prefer less people to come. Maybe it was that he just didn’t want both Dave and Aaron to go, but he didn’t really want to be alone with just one of them.

He didn’t mind either of them, they seemed nice enough, but that's how everyone starts. His old foster parents had been nice like this at first before they realized that Derek was too much for them to handle. Carl had been nice, he’d been normal before everything started. It was just a matter of time before something changed in them too. Only a matter of time before they realized what they’d gotten themselves into or revealed who they really were.

The thought of that day brought a pain in Derek’s chest. He loved the kids and didn’t want to leave them. He loved Emily, no matter how much she tried to act like she was all darkness and hatred, she made his world a little brighter. Spencer, he loved that kid, he was talkative and kind of annoying at times, but he’d give anything to see him smile. JJ, who could not love her, she was so sweet, at eleven she just wanted to take care of everyone, but if you got her mad you had something else coming. Derek loved Penelope, he loved everything about her crazy unique personality, just being herself she made him feel safe.

He tried not to think of that day, looming closer and closer. Instead, Derek focused on the dog. He watched Mudgie walk alongside of him, unable to hold back a smile.

“Have you ever had a dog before?” Aaron asked as they walked down the path.

Derek shook his head, “No, we couldn’t have dogs at my old house. Margaret had a dog though.”

Aaron only knew of one Margaret in Derek’s life but he wanted to be sure, “Your old foster mom?”

“Yeah. Her name was Daisy. She’d chew on everything and barked a lot.” Derek laughed a bit, remembering the little yappy little shih tzu that had lived with him over that month.

“Is that what happened to your bear?” Dave asked curiously.

“She chewed it a little but it wasn’t all the dog. It used to belong to my oldest sister, she loved it when she was little so it got kind of banged up.” Derek answered.

He frowned slightly, thinking about his sister. She would drag that bear around everywhere when she was really little. Just a year ago Derek was stealing the bear from Sarah’s room to tease her that she still had it at sixteen. He could hear her yelling at him about it. He loved just making her mad for the sake of being a jerk to his sister, now he’d give anything to hear her yelling at him just so he could hear her voice.

Dave nudged the teen when he subconsciously stopped walking, caught in his own thoughts, “You alright kiddo?”

“I’m fine. Which way do we go?” Derek sniffled and tried to change the subject.

Dave pointed to the path to the left, “This way, unless you feel like having him drag you through the river.”

Derek smiled, “I think I would live without swimming today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's something you want to see in this fic? I have most of my chapters mapped out but I want to have at least twenty chapters and I don't have all of them planned out.
> 
> Also, I'm working on two-three chapter stories about all of the other kids joining the Hotchner-Rossi family. What would you like to see with those?


	8. Late Nights

Derek didn’t remember falling asleep. The last thing he remembered was going to his room and sitting on the bed. He hadn’t wanted to go to sleep, so he didn’t. But there was no other way to explain this. There’s no way he could just show up. 

Maybe he just doesn’t remember falling asleep, or maybe he didn’t remember going there. At the moment there was no way he could tell for sure. He couldn’t tell if it's a nightmare. It felt so real, but so do all of the nightmares. Every time he heard that voice he broke. He couldn’t take it.

“Look up to the sky.”

He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t even open his eyes. He wanted to scream, he wanted to yell. The word no almost passed his lips but all that came out was a small whimper. 

“Wake up.”

There was a new voice. It repeated the words “Wake up.” over and over, slowly drowning out the simultaneous “Look up to the sky.”

Penelope shook Derek’s shoulders, “Derek? Derek wake up!”

Derek shot up. He couldn’t breath. His chest felt heavy. Somebody was saying something. It was Penelope. Penelope was talking to him. He knew it was her, he knew that voice. He could hear her but he couldn’t see her. His vision was too blurry.

“It was just a nightmare.”

Her voice faded out, he didn’t know if it was in his head or if she’d stopped talking but her voice was gone. Then it was back. It was not Penelope. It was that Goddamn voice.

You didn’t say no. You never told. You wanted it, you know you did. If you didn’t you would have said something. To Carl, to Mama, your sisters, someone. You would have said something to someone, but you didn’t. You never said a word.

“Derek?” Penelope whispered, “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” Derek swallowed, “Just a bad dream.” He forced out the last words.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Penelope asked quietly.

Derek shook his head no. He wanted to talk but he couldn’t form words. He could never tell Penelope about what had happened. She didn’t need to hear the things that happened to him. The things he’d let happen. He couldn’t bear to have her know.

He could no longer hear that damn voice ringing in his head. A different voice took over, one that wasn’t his own. It was like he was there. He was at the cabin. Carl was there, that’s what it felt like.

He tried to tell himself it wasn’t real. He wasn’t at the cabin. When Buford’s voice left his own voice returned, now creaming in his ear.

You could have said something! Why didn’t you say something? You must have been asking if you couldn’t even say no. You couldn’t even tell Mama. It couldn’t have been bad if you didn’t even tell her. You didn’t tell Sarah. You didn’t tell Desiree. Why? Because you were ashamed? Why did you need to be ashamed if it wasn’t your Goddamn fault?

Then came Penelope’s voice again, “Do you want me to stay?” 

Her soft words washed over him, drowning out the sounds of his nightmares, the sound of his own mind. Hearing her talk was all he needed. For the first time in a long time he felt completely safe.

When Derek finally forced himself to nod Penelope pulled him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her. He couldn’t begin himself to let go. He was afraid that he’d wake up and find himself alone or back at the cabin if he let go of her. She kept him grounded.

“Can... Can you keep talking?” Derek mumbled.

“Of course. What do you want me to say?” Penelope asked softly.

Derek didn’t care, he just wanted to hear her voice, “Anything. Please.”

For the first time Penelope couldn’t find anything to say. She searched for words but she couldn’t find anything. The moment words came to her she started talking, not letting herself think about it. She didn’t let herself stop. Neither of them even remember what she said but it didn’t matter in the moment.

Neither Derek nor Penelope knew how long they’d been there by the time Derek mumbled a quiet “Thank you, Pen.” He finally released her from his arms, “You can go back to bed if you want.”

“You said you wanted me to stay so I’m not leaving.” Penelope insisted, not moving from her spot.

Derek looked over at the alarm clock, surprised by just how early it was, “It’s not even three a.m. You must be exhausted.”

“That doesn’t matter. If you still want me here I’m not leaving.” Penelope replied, “Do you want me to leave?” She asked.

“Not really.” Derek answered, he really didn’t want her to leave.

Penelope smiled, “Then it’s settled. I’m staying here.” 

“If you’re staying you need to go to sleep.” Derek wasn’t going to give up on making sure Penelope got rest.

Penelope wasn’t letting him off that easy, she knows that once she’s asleep he’ll sit awake thinking about whatever it is that got him worked up,“And if I’m sleeping then so are you.”

“Alright.” Derek reluctantly agreed, “Do you need anything?”

Penelope shook her head, “Nope. Unless you’ve got an issue with sharing a bed.”

“I don’t have any issue with that.” Derek smiled back.

The young teens were laying across from each other on the bed. Neither of them had even tried closing their eyes yet. Both were more concerned with making sure the other was alright and resting.

Penelope looked at Derek with concern, “You know you can talk to one of us if you need to, right?” She asked.

“I know. I just don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it.” Derek admitted.

“You can’t just keep that to yourself. I tried to do the same thing after my parents died. Trust me it's no fun.” Penelope explained, “It doesn’t have to be Dad or Papa. You could talk to me or Emily. If you want you Dad and Papa they could get you in to talk with a professional.”

“Thanks.” Derek smiled a bit, “I promise, when I’m ready I’ll talk to someone. It’s just too soon.”

“If I go to sleep will you go to sleep?” Penelope changed the subject, being satisfied with Derek’s response.

“Yeah.” Derek agreed.

Even in the dark room Derek could see the sincere joy on Penelope’s face, “Good. I’m tired of you looking like you’re going to pass out from exhaustion all the time.”

Derek laughed a bit, he didn’t think he was that bad, “Let’s go to sleep.”


	9. Football

Derek didn't know how he felt. He was scared. Terrified, really. He was excited. More excited than he'd been in a while. The emotions clashed, leaving him confused and unsure about what he was about to do.

He loved football. It saved his life. But the memories that came with it. The memories that had been buried in a fresh, shallow grave, just barely out of mind for once. Going back to football dug up those memories again. 

It was as though no matter how much Derek tried to get rid of them, the things that happened in that cabin would still find him. They would follow him around until they got close enough to grab him again.

The first day of practice, when the school year hadn't even begun. He almost cried that day. He almost ran away the moment Dave stopped the car. He didn't. It was time to move on, he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't run. This sport saved his life he wasn't going to let Buford take that away from him.

He made it through that first practice. Not once did the cabin cross his mind once he stepped on that field. His fears and anxieties disappeared when he heard the coach blow the whistle. Football was still his, it hadn't been taken from him. 

That first week flew by and Buford had almost completely left his mind for that time. He'd only had one nightmare that week. It was short and when he woke up he didn't have to calm himself down from a panic attack. 

That next Monday something changed. At the end of practice Derek saw the varsity coach watching him and some of that fear returned. The things he could be thinking. What he might want to do. The possibilities scared him.

It wasn't until practice had ended that his anxiety was put to ease.

"Hey, Derek, can I talk to you for a second?" An older boy called out.

Derek recognised him. It was Jonathan Walker, captain of the varsity team. Derek had never talked to him before, being a freshman, he was only on junior varsity. But apparently John knew who Derek was. 

"What's up?" Derek asked.

John wrapped his arm around Derek's shoulders, "You've got some real talent, kid." He complemented.

"Thanks." Derek smiled.

"Listen, I heard coach talking earlier, he's thinking of moving you to the varsity team." John explained, "Not a lot of freshmen get to play varsity but I think we could use you on the team. I'm really pushing for you to convince coach, so I wanna show you some stuff."

Derek honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Are you serious?"

"Do I have a reason to lie to you?" John raised an eyebrow at the younger teen, "Come on, let's get to work."

By the time Derek had finished practicing with John and gotten his things from the locker room, it was a half hour past the end of practice. Dave was understandably worried, when he was the last parent there and he hadn't seen or heard from his foster son. 

"Hey." Derek greeted the man as he hopped into the passenger seat.

"That's all you have to say? Practice has been out for a half hour. Where were you?" Dave asked, still panicked.

Derek slumped down in his seat, "A senior from the varsity team said that the coach might put me on varsity. He wanted to work with me on some stuff to make sure I make the team." He explained.

"That's good news. Next time give me a heads up so I don't have a heart attack." Dave didn't want to be mad, he was happy for Derek, he just needed to know about these things sooner.

This became a daily thing. After practice Derek would meet up with John and they'd run plays, luckily Dave was aware of it now. He was starting to really enjoy it. He was getting better and John was becoming somewhat of a mentor for him. A real mentor.

At the end of the week it was raining hard. The field was muddy and slick. The boys didn't care much but by the end they were wet, muddy, and cold. That didn't stop Derek and John from staying late to work on things. 

By the time they got into the locker rooms the last of the boys were getting out of the showers. Once the others had left John began undressing to get into the showers. Derek rarely used locker room showers, it always made him feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. He decided to use them, he was covered in mud and almost everyone was gone.

He was grateful that each shower had two curtains, one to block off the entire stall and one to separate the changing area from the actual shower. This meant he wouldn't have to strip down in front of anyone.

Derek had just finished scrubbing all of the sweat and mud off of his body when he heard the curtains rustle behind him. Before he could turn around someone slid up behind him. He could feel them rubbing their hands down his body. He did all he could not to whimper.

"Relax, D. It's just me. You're okay." 

His heart broke when he heard that voice. He shouldn't have trusted him. He'd trusted Burford the same way. He should have learned by now. It had to be his fault, why would it keep happening to him if it wasn't?

A chill ran down his spine when he felt a pair of warm lips on his neck. He clinched his eyes shut, unable to watch what was happening. He could feel his hands all over his body. He could easily just hit them away or step away from the other boy, but he couldn't get himself to move.

Derek felt the water shut off, but he still couldn't bare to open his eyes. Those warm lips pressed against the skin in between his shoulder blades.

"We don't need to tell anyone about this. It'll be our secret, Derek." 

Once Derek heard the older teen leave the locker room he pulled on his clothes as fast as he could. He didn't bother wasting time on getting his socks or sneakers on. He grabbed his duffle bag and ran out to the parking lot. 

He jumped into Dave's car without hesitation. Dave was startled by the kid jumping into the car so quickly. He was a little later than usual. Tears were streaming down his face. The teen didn't say a word until Dave spoke.

"What's wrong Kiddo?" Dave asked.

"I wanna go home." Derek replied, pulling his knees up to his chest.

That was when Dave noticed that his foster son was completely barefoot. His shoes and socks were in his still open duffel bag.

"Derek, I'm serious, what's going on?" Dave placed his hand on Derek's shoulder.

"Don't!" Derek jerked away from the man's touch, "I just wanna go home... Please."


	10. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have almost all of the chapters finished completely so I’m going to try to update everyday or every other day.

"How was practice?" Aaron asked when Derek and Dave walked through the front door.

His question was ignored entirely. Derek just shoved past his foster father and ran to his room closing slamming the door behind him. Leaving two concerned parents standing in the hallway, wishing they could help.

Derek choked back the sobs the best he could. That didn't stop them. No matter how hard he tried, tears still slid down his cheeks and pained sobs escaped his lips. Everything hurt. It was all starting again. Why was it happening again? Why couldn't it just stop? Why couldn't he have one good thing in his life?

The blood was had never made it to the floor, it would have stained the carpet. It couldn't be seen on the knife if it was closed. No one would be able to see the cuts, or at least they shouldn't be able to. 

He didn't want anyone to see them. He didn't want them to know what he'd done to himself. He didn't want them to know he couldn't take it. He didn't want them to get close enough to see. But people always did. As soon as thinks everything is okay, someone proves him wrong.

Derek sat alone in his room. The sobs and tears were now long gone, but he didn't feel any better. The voice was back again. The pain was back. Everything he'd been trying to bury deep inside of himself had come right back up to the front of his mind.

Derek couldn't bear to look at himself in the mirror. He hated what he saw. When he caught sight of himself the first thing he noticed was his hoodie. No, not his. Hank Morgan's hoodie. 

The things he did, the things he let happen. His father was a hero. And he had the audacity to wear his jacket with all of the things he'd done. He didn't deserve to have it. His father deserves someone better to carry his name. His mom deserved better. His sisters deserved better.

He looked up when he heard a knock on his door. Had they been knocking all this time and he just didn't notice? He hoped not. He wanted to say come in but he couldn't get the words out. Before anyone could enter he slid his pocket knife under his bed and pulled the sleeves of his sweatshirt down over his hands again.

JJ slowly opened the door, holding a plate of chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. She smiled at Derek before walking into the room, closing the door behind her. Her face dropped a little when she saw him. She knew he'd been crying, but she could tell it had been bad.

"Hi." JJ said softly.

"Hey." Derek replied, his voice raspy from crying.

JJ held out the plate to Derek, "You didn't come to dinner so I brought you some."

"Thanks JJ, but I'm not hungry." Derek took the plate and set it on his bedside table.

"You have to eat." JJ went to grab the plate before Derek stopped her.

"I know. I'm just not hungry." Derek repeated, glancing back at the plate of food.

JJ frowned, she knew that he was lying. Something was bothering him, not eating was simply how he was choosing to deal with it. She knew he wouldn't just want to talk, but he needed to. It hurt to see him like this.

"Can I sit with you?" JJ gestured to the spot next to Derek on the bed.

"Sure." Derek moved the bear that had been next to him on the bed, making room for the girl.

JJ picked up the bear, "What happened to your bear?"

"It's just old." Derek answered, "It was my older sister's, she used to take it everywhere when she was little."

"Is that why you kept it?" JJ asked.

Derek nodded, "Yeah. It just reminds me of her."

JJ handed Derek a necklace, "My big sister gave me this necklace before she died. I always wear it because I feel like she's with me when I do."

Derek frowned and handed the necklace back to the younger girl, "You had a sister?"

"Yeah." JJ nodded, "She died about a year ago."

"I'm sorry JJ." 

That was all Derek could say. He couldn't imagine JJ having to go through that. It's been hell for him losing his family. Why would someone like her have to lose someone she loved like that? JJ didn't deserve that, she could never deserve that.

"It's alright. I miss her but I have two awesome big sisters now." JJ giggled, think about Emily and Penelope, "Can you tell me about your sister?"

"I had two, actually." Derek grabbed a photo out of his bedside table, and handed it to the girl, "That's my little sister, Desiree. She was your age."

"She's really pretty." JJ commented. 

"Yeah, she was." Derek gave a half smile, "She was a lot like you too. She was grumpier than you, but you have a lot in common."

"Is that your other sister?" JJ pointed to the other girl.

"That's Sarah." Derek replied, "She was Emily's age. She was great. Stubborn as hell and an overprotective pain, but she was the best."

JJ handed Derek his photo, she rubbed her thumb across the fabric of the stuffed bear, "You miss them a lot don't you?" She looked back to Derek.

The teen looked away, avoiding JJ's eyes, "Yes, all the time. It's kind of hard to move on from them."

JJ nodded understandingly, "I get it. After Roz died I had a really hard time. Daddy and Papa helped me figure everything out and get better. It was really hard, but it got a lot better."

"I'm glad you came in to talk." Derek smiled, looking over at the girl, "I really needed this."

"You're welcome." JJ leaned into the teen and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

JJ and Derek didn't move from that spot for a half hour. Neither of them said anything they just enjoyed sitting together. For that time the pain was gone.

Derek missed his sisters. He missed his Mom. He still, four years later, missed his dad. But he loved his foster siblings. At this point in his life there is nothing he could be more grateful for. JJ, Spencer, Emily, and Penelope are the best thing to happen to him since that car crash. He didn't want to lose them too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who’s adoption/foster care story would you be interested in hearing next? None of the others will be this long but I do want to make one for each of the child/teen characters


	11. After School Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters have all been kind of sad and a lot of the upcoming ones will be too, but I promise it's important to Derek's development. I feel bad that I'm putting him through more crap to get him to a better place, but it's just how it has to be.

Derek only had two days to himself until he had to see John again. Only now it wasn't just football practice. School was starting and he didn't know just how much he'd have to see the older boy. He knew that he probably wouldn't see him a lot. How many classes would a freshman and a senior have together any way?

Derek didn't have to worry about any suspicion from Aaron or Dave. The younger man was already at work by the time they were leaving for school, and the older was taking JJ, Penelope, and Spencer to school.

He still couldn't believe that Spencer was going to school with Penelope and JJ at the age of nine. But when he thought about it, it wasn't hard to believe. The kid could probably be going to school with Emily and Derek if he really wanted to.

"Come on. Let's get going." Emily nudged Derek.

Derek followed Emily out to her car. Her car was clean, though none of the cars were messy, Dave and Aaron's just weren't this clean. He assumed it was from driving the other kids places, when Emily probably only drove herself and maybe some friends.

"Do the different grades have classes together?" Derek asked, still concerned with seeing John again.

"Sometimes." Emily replied, "Why, don't want to be in class with me?"

"Well shit. I guess I might have to deal with you." Derek teased.

"Oh shut up." Emily smacked the back of Derek's head.

The first day wasn't as bad as Derek had anticipated. The school was pretty nice, nicer than his old school. The people were alright too, for the most part. He didn't have any classes with John, though he got to hang out with some of the other football boys. None with Emily though, he wouldn't have minded being in class with her, but he was okay not having any classes together.

The week went by and school was fine. Derek even made a few friends outside of football. Practice only got worse.

John had wanted to stay even longer to work with Derek. He couldn't bring himself to turn down the older boy. Dave wouldn't show up until later, and he wanted to make varsity. If he could play varsity all four years of high school he might get a football scholarship. He wasn't about to ruin his chances.

By the time they'd finished everyone but the coach was gone. They were alone in the locker room. No one would possibly see.

No one else would see the healing cuts on Derek's thighs. No one else would see the way John smirked when he saw them. They wouldn't see the things that he did with his hand. The way he ran them along Derek's body.

Derek never once touched his body. John would put his hands on Derek, where ever he wanted them. But that was all.

The next week Derek came home a little later, not because of John. He and Dave had stopped to pick up food, because Emily had a classmate coming over and wouldn't have time to make dinner. Even though it was her night.

Derek saw John and suddenly he couldn't breath. John just walked right past him and followed Emily to the family room to work on their project. He tried to catch his breath once the other teens were out of the room, but he couldn't.

"Derek? Are you okay?" Penelope asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

Derek took a deep breath, "I'm okay." He nodded.

He joined the rest of the kids watching a movie. The movie was able to take his attention away from any other thoughts for the time being. Once it was over the kids were sent back to their rooms to work on homework and Derek was stuck in his mind again. He tried to take his mind off of it with some music.

"I didn't know Derek was your brother." John told Emily as they cleaned up their project, "When did your dads adopt him?"

"They haven't adopted him. He's just my foster brother." Emily replied.

"Oh, I see." John gathered up his things tossing them into his backpack, "Do you think we'll need to meet up tomorrow?"

Emily shook her head, "No, we should be able to finish in class."

"Alright. Well, then I'll see you tomorrow." John waved slightly to the younger girl.

"See ya." Emily didn't even turn around, she just continued gathering the leftover supplies.

Emily finished the last of the cleaning and brought the project back to her room. As she walked through the hall she noticed Derek's door was open. She had no intention of looking into the room, but she did. She saw John walk up behind Derek and place his hands on the younger boy's shoulders. 

Emily spoke up when she saw him kiss Derek's neck, "I thought you left." Her tone was intentionally harsh.

John got nervous when he heard Emily, "I uh, I was just saying goodbye to Derek."

John walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Derek couldn't hear if Emily and John were saying anything. But he could hear all of the possibilities. They echoed in his mind. All of the things he could be telling Emily. How he never said no. How he never fought back. That he wanted it.

Derek let out a shaky breath that he didn't realise that he was holding in. He still couldn't breath. The music didn't help any more. His mind drowned out the sound of the music. The louder he played the music, the louder his mind got.

He couldn't see anymore. His vision was far too blurry. Even if he had the ability to see clearly, he wouldn't have seen anything. He couldn't open his eyes anymore.

Derek could feel it. Something was choking him. Something was blinding him. 

He couldn't see it. He couldn't fight it. He could feel it. He could feel it so clearly. Stopping any air from entering his lungs covering his eyes in black. It was cold and unforgiving. Relentless. It wouldn't let him go. It wouldn't let him call for help.

Dave walked down the hall to check on the kids before he went to join Aaron in bed. JJ and Penelope were both fast asleep. He quietly opened Spencer's door to find him sitting under the blankets with a flashlight and a copy of Fahrenheit 451.

"Get to bed Spencer." Dave took the book from his youngest.

"I'm halfway through, it won't take me long to finish. Please Papa."

Dave marked the page in the book and set it on Spencer's desk, "It's way past your bedtime. You can finished it in the morning. I promise Montag will still be there.”

"Fine." Spencer sighed.

Dave smiled and kissed the boy's forehead. He tucked Spencer back into bed and made sure that the night light in the corner of the room was on. Then he left to room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He found Emily's bedroom light still on. The teen was still up on her phone. After threatening to take the phone and a short debate, Emily gave in to Dave. She plugged her phone into the charger with the rest of them out in the family room and returned to bed.

When Dave went to check on Derek he found the room empty. The window was closed this time, but he knew that Derek had run off. He wouldn't have left the window open a second time. Dave quickly scanned the area for any sign of where Derek might have gone, but all he found was Derek's pocket knife.

The discovery brought him no information, and certainly no comfort. Their house was surrounded by woods, and Derek could be out there with no protection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The question still stands, whose story do you want to hear next? I have one vote for Emily, so I'm starting on my Emily story, but I still need to know who's next.
> 
> Also totally unrelated to the story, definitely not for an upcoming chapter, nope not at all, but... What dog do you guys picture Clooney as? I usually think german shepherd but it changes from story to story, even if the author doesn't specify him as something else. Like I've pictured him as rottweiler, a golden retriever, even an english mastiff.


	12. Runaway

Dave searched the whole house, but Derek was nowhere to be found. The fourteen year old's phone was till charging in the family room. He opted to check the roof before he woke his husband. But his foster son wasn't there either.

"Aaron." Dave shook his husband's shoulders.

Aaron groggily sat up, "Dave? What? It's midnight, why are you still awake."

"Derek's gone." Dave panicked.

"What?" Aaron all at once woke up entirely. 

Dave frustratedly ran his fingers through his hair, "I've searched the house, I even checked the roof but he isn't there." 

Aaron climbed out of bed and threw on a pair of shoes. He grabbed a jacket, his phone, and a flashlight. The two men ran outside, searching around the house, hoping Derek had been close enough to be seen.

"We'll split up. If you find him call me. If neither of us find him in ten minutes we'll call the police." Aaron suggested. 

He searched the edge of the woods, praying that Derek hadn't wandered far into the woods. All he seemed to find was a quiet forest, a few small animal scurried away from his flashlight. There was still no sign of Derek.

Time was passing and he was nearing the end of the road that lead up to the house. Dave still hadn't called. Aaron was terrified that he wasn't going to find his son. That he was lost out there, that he was hurt, or worse. 

Something told Aaron to search a little further into the trees. He ran into the barbed wire fence that separates the rest of the woods from the property. He followed the fence line back up toward the house. The dense forest on the other side was difficult to search without crossing the fence, but that didn't stop Aaron from searching for Derek in those trees.

The only sound that crossed his ears was the crunching leaves and twigs beneath his feet, the near by animals now long gone. There was nothing to be seen aside from the trees and occasional stones. Then he heard it. He almost missed it. A small sniffle from the otherside of the barbed wire.

Aaron held up the flashlight, pointing it in the direction of the noise. He couldn't see him perfectly, but he could make out his foster son, sitting against a tree. Derek didn't react to the light, though Aaron knew he saw it.

Aaron quickly pulled out his phone and dialed his husbands number, "Dave. Yeah, I found him. You head back to the house and get some rest. I can handle Derek."

The man pocketed his phone and took a deep breath, still attempting to call down. He pulled out the pocket tool he kept in his coat and clipped the top of the barbed wire fence off. Now able to climb over the fence safely he made his way over to the teen.

"Hey, Derek." Aaron slowly walked up to the teen and sat down next to him.

"Hey." The boy replied quietly.

Aaron gave Derek a sympathetic look, "Do you wanna talk?"

"No. I'm fine." Derek sniffled, wiping his eyes.

"Derek, I'm serious. You know you aren't okay. Can you tell me what's wrong?" Aaron asked in a soft comforting tone. Derek shook his head no, his eyes clouding with tears, "You know you can talk to me, about anything. I want to listen if you want to talk."

"I-I can't." Derek choked out, "I can't do it."

Aaron embraced Derek and gently rubbed his back, "Hey, shh, it's alright. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Derek clutched Aaron's shirt in his fists and buried his face into the man's chest. Normally he wouldn't want anyone to touch him, especially not a grown man. But something overcame him and before he knew what was happening he was clinging to Aaron like a lifeline.

Once he was in the man's arms he didn't feel vulnerable, he didn't feel afraid. He felt safe. He felt warm. He felt at home. For the first time since he lost his family, he truly felt at home. For the first time since Bufford, he felt completely safe. This feeling was the one thing keeping him grounded, he didn't want it to end.

"Let's get home." Aaron rubbed the boy's back and tried to stand up, but Derek didn't move.

"Can we stay here?" Derek asked, his voice hoarse, "Please Dad... Just for a little while?"

Aaron held the boy tighter, his heart aching, "Of course we can." He whispered.

"Thank you." Derek mumbled into the man's shoulder.

Aaron waited for Derek to say that he was ready to leave, but the teen didn't say another word. He still didn't move, if his son needed them to stay then they would stay. The wind sent a chill through his body, but he still didn't move. He held his son tightly in his arms.

The sound of his phone ringing startled the both of them. Leading Derek to tighten his grip on the man. Aaron was reluctant to do so but removed one of his arms from around the boy so he could answer the call. He didn't need to see the caller ID to know it was his husband calling.

"We'll come home soon. Don't worry Dave. Just go to bed, I promise we're alright."

"Papa's worried about us." Aaron whispered, "You know we can still do this at home, where it's warm."

Derek turned his head slightly so his voice wouldn't be muffled against the man's body. He didn't want to leave. It was cold, even pressed up against another warm body it was cold. The forest could be dangerous, especially at night. He didn't care, being outside listening to the wind and the small sounds of the animals brought him a peace that he had yet to find anywhere else.

"I know. I just... I like the sound." Derek admitted, "It helps me clear my head. Helps me not think so much about the bad stuff."

"Does anything else help? Is there something I can do?" Aaron asked.

Derek didn't have to think about what he needed, but he couldn't get his answer out right away, "Keep talking... Please. I just need something else to listen to." He mumbled.

"Alright, I can do that but let's get home first." Aaron smiled.

Dave still couldn't sleep, he hadn't heard from his husband. He was worried. Every part of him wanted to call again, but he decided against it. If they weren't ready to come back yet then they weren't ready.

The older man walked silently to his office, hoping to do something productive with his time if he wasn't going to be sleeping. When he passed the family room, his mind was finally put at ease. Laying on the couch was Derek and Aaron, both now fast asleep.


	13. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Derek finally get their chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've sort of made a chapter about Derek and Spencer, if you count Shopping as my Derek and Spencer chapter you'll be getting another one. That one will be focused more on Derek's relationship with the family than learning how to deal with the other shit in his life.

Emily finished styling her hair and putting on her makeup, just a few minutes before she and Derek had to leave. She called out for Derek but heard no response. Annoyed, she walked into his room, but he wasn't there. 

She had only known Derek a few months but she knew he didn't make his bed this neet every morning. He probably hadn't even slept in it. Something caught her eye before she left. As soon as she picked it up, Derek appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" Derek asked.

Emily pocketed the item, "I was just looking for you." She smiled nervously.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "Alright. I'm going to wait in the car."

Emily tried not to think about the object in her pocket. She was only successful when she saw John walk into her third hour. He sat down next to her so they could work on their project and all Emily could think about was what she'd seen the night before.

"Why did you want 'say goodbye' to Derek last night?" Emily asked as soon as he sat down.

"We're on the football team together." John replied plainly, "I'm his mentor. I'm helping him get on the varsity team."

Emily couldn't help but scowl at the boy, "Oh, so that's why you were kissing my brother? So do all seniors care that much about the freshman? Or is this just the two of you? I don't think most mentors find it appropriate to kiss their mentee."

John almost froze, his face was almost afraid, "You... You must have seen wrong. I didn't kiss him."

Emily didn't believe that for a second, "Well, that's sure what it looked like." She snapped back.

"Nothing happened last night." John replied, enunciating each word clearly, but quietly.

"Emily, John, could you work more quietly, please." The teacher called out.

Emily couldn't just ignore this, but for the remainder of class she tried to focus on the project. If she couldn't finish it here John would have to come over again. Regardless of whatever his relationship with Derek was, she didn't want him coming back to the house.

The school day drug on. All she could think about was John and the object in her pocket. Everything circled back to Derek. She needed to talk to him. She needed to talk to Derek today, she wasn't going to let her questions go unanswered.

Derek was choking back sobs as he waited for John to leave the locker room. As soon as he heard the door close he shakily dug through his bag. He couldn't find it, his pocket knife wasn't in his bag. He rushed into one of the stalls, emptying the contents of his stomach.

Derek jogged out of the locker room to the front parking lot. He searched for Dave's car but he didn't see it. He knew Aaron wasn't off of work yet, so Dave must have just been late. Dave had never been late before, and Derek was late getting out. He was still coming. Was he not coming? He probably wasn't.

After what had happened last night they were probably going to send him away. After he'd run off in the middle of the night and then kept them up with him. Dave and Aaron didn't want to handle a runaway. He wasn't ready to start over again. He wasn't ready to leave Penelope, Spencer, JJ, and Emily. He wasn't ready to leave Aaron and Dave. He wasn't ready for that, he couldn't handle that.

Derek jumped at the sound of a car horn. He realized after the scare that he'd been hyperventilating. The car horn sounded again and Derek finally looked up. It was Emily. He ran over and got into the car. He didn't look at Emily. He didn't say anything. His mind was still going a million miles an hour.

Emily nudged Derek in the shoulder, "What's that look for? Not happy to see me?"

"Just that Dave normally gets me." Derek replied quietly.

"I told the old man that I wanted to pick you up from practice." Emily explained.

Derek didn't understand, Emily never wanted to do anything but sit in her room, "Why?" He asked.

"Because we need to talk." Emily sighed, "I know there are things going on with you Derek, and you won't talk about them. You're just going to make things worse by keeping it in all the time."

"There's nothing to talk about." Derek mumbled.

"Bullshit. I know you're keeping all of your crap inside, I know that you aren't telling us what's going on up there." Emily thumped Derek's forehead, "If you aren't ready to talk now, then I'll wait. I've got plenty of time. You like ice cream, don't you?"

"Yeah." Derek nodded, he only hoped he could stomach it.

"Then we're getting ice cream." Emily smirked.

Emily handed Derek his ice cream and sat across from him at the small table. She took a bite of her sunday, hoping Derek would start the conversation. Derek stabbed at his ice cream with his spoon, avoiding eye contact with the older teen.

"Derek, I want you talk to me." Emily whispered.

"I just..." Derek sighed, "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I won't tell anyone." Emily promised.

"Before my mom and sisters died I used to play football for a community center. The coach... he..." Derek found himself trailing off, he could force the words out.

"Derek? What happened?" Emily asked, trying to keep her voice soft and comforting.

"He liked to take me up to his cabin and..." Derek couldn't stop the tears from sliding down his cheeks, "He liked... He liked to do things to me."

He couldn't talk anymore. Every time he tried to form words they got caught in his throat. He felt like he was choking. He didn't feel like he was choking on his words, he felt as though he were physically choking. As if something was making to so he couldn't breath.

"I swear to God I'm gonna kill that bitch." Emily cursed.

" 'm sorry." Derek finally choked out, once he got the words to start again, they wouldn't stop, "I thought he was trying to help me, but then he... I hated every second of it. I hated it, Goddamn it! But he didn't stop and I never said anything. He kept telling me to man up and look up to the sky."

"I can't imagine what you must have gone through." Emily returned to her original gentle tone, "You told me not to tell anyone and I'm not going to, but you need to talk to someone about this."

"I just told you." Derek mumbled.

"I'm sixteen, I'm not all wise and knowing when it comes to this stuff. I have no idea what kind of things you had to go through and I don't know how to help you get better, but other people do. I'm not going to push you to tell someone, but I want you to think about it." Emily the explained, "Anything you need me to do to help, I'll do it. Just tell me."

"I don't know what I need." Derek admitted, finally looking up at his foster sister.

"Come here." Emily pulled Derek into a hug.

Emily was already a few inches taller than Derek. With the platform boots she wore she could rest her chin on the top of his head. In this moment, Derek was grateful for that. He wouldn't have to look at her directly, but she could still just hold him in her arms.

Emily didn't release the shorter, "You might not want to trust me, but I'm here for you if you ever need anything. Anything you tell me will just be between us unless you want someone to know." She told him, "I swear I'll kill that asshole who hurt you, but I won't tell."

Emily heard Derek snicker at her last comment, "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of spoilers in this note, but it's more of a warning... Most of the upcoming chapters will go back and forth between Derek dealing with his assault and learning to trust his new family. Be prepared, I'm going to be adding a few more warnings to the book because Derek is going to get worse before he gets better as far as his mental and physical stability goes. Don't worry his family relationship is going to be getting better throughout all of it


	14. Cold and Queasy

Derek didn't know why he'd decided to make that call. Maybe it was the sickness clouding his mind. He'd hate to admit that he made more logical decisions while nearly in the midst of a fever dream than when he was fully conscious and aware. But that was what he did.

"Jason..." Derek mumbled.

"Derek?" The man on the other end replied, "Morgan? Is that you?"

Derek smiled when he heard the man's voice, "Yeah. It's me."

"Hey, bud. What's up, kid?" Jason Ryder asked, excited to hear from the teen.

Derek cleared his throat, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course. What is it?" Jason couldn't help but be concerned. Hank had been his best friend, his partner, he loved Hanks children, he loved Derek. If the kid was struggling he wanted to help.

"I don't know what to do. I-I don't want to be here anymore." Derek gasped out.

"Your foster home? Derek are they hurting you?" The man asked frantically.

"No! No, it's not that. I love it here. I love them. But I don't want to be here, I don't want to be alive. I just want everything to be over." Derek admitted.

"Derek..."

Derek's throat burned, at the time he assumed it was from crying, and continued, "I know I shouldn't feel like this. I should be fine. I love this family. I'm taken care of. But I don't feel like I can do this anymore."

Jason let out a shaky breath, "Derek, kid, you need to talk to a professional." 

"I-I can't, I can't do it. I've tried, but I-" Derek was interrupted by a long coughing fit.

"Hey, hey, hey. Slow down, okay. I need you take a deep breath." Jason instructed the boy, listening for his breathing, "Can you talk to me? Can you do that?"

"I-I think so." 

Aaron turned his attention from the movie he'd been watching with his husband when his phone rang. He stepped out of the room so Dave could continue watching the movie.

"Hotchner." Aaron answered.

A man on the other end cleared his throat, "Mr.Hotchner. My name is Jason Ryder. I used to work with Hank Morgan."

"Derek Morgan's father?" Aaron asked, unsure of why this man would be calling him.

"Yes. Derek called me today..."

Aaron knocked on Derek's door, hearing a quiet "come in". He opened the door and smiled at the boy. Derek had looked up from his phone when the man walked in, he smiled back, but it was weak and forced.

Aaron sorted through his thoughts knowing he didn't want to talk where the other kids could hear, "Derek, let's go for a quick drive. We need to talk."

"I-I'm not really in the mood for talking." Derek replied.

"This is really important. We need to talk about this." Aaron didn't go into detail, still worried about the other kids over hearing.

Derek reluctantly agreed, "Okay."

The thought of having to have this important conversation was making him sick to his stomach. Regardless he stood up to follow Aaron out to the garage. He began to feel dizzy, and stumbled over his feet. His need to vomit grew worse once he was on his feet. Maybe it wasn't the conversation making him nauseous...

"Derek? Derek, look at me." Aaron grabbed onto his foster son when he saw him struggling to stand, "Derek!"

Derek collapsed to his knees, unable to support his own weight any longer. He could feel hot bile rising in his throat. He tried to keep it down. The last thing he wanted to do was vomit all over his bedroom floor. When the awful taste his his mouth, it only made the nausea worsen, making it impossible to keep anything down.

He tried his best to keep from making a mess of the carpet. Placing his and over his mouth and trying to find something to empty his stomach into. But he was too weak to move, and hand could only do so much. When the hot mess of stomach acid and whatever Derek had forced down for lunch came spilling out of his mouth, his small hand couldn't stop it.

Derek dropped his hand to support his body. Without both hands in front of his body he would have collapsed to the floor into the puddle of vomit. Not that it would make to big of a difference he was already covered in it.

He was cold. Why was he so cold? He was wearing a long sleeved shirt and a hoodie. How was it so damn cold?"

"Derek, can you stand?" Aaron repeated finally catching the teen's attention.

"I-I think so." Derek replied.

Aaron helped Derek to his feet and didn't let go of him, "Be careful." He guided the boy around the puddle of bile on the ground.

Derek didn't remember much of what happened after that. He was so mentally gone that it never registered in his mind. When his mind started to come back to him, he found himself lying on the sofa under a blanket. He was still cold.

His hoodie was gone. He didn't know how long he hadn't had it or where it was, all he knew was that it was gone. Panic set in, making his body shakier than it already was.

"Where's my hoodie?" Derek asked.

Aaron looked up from his book, he wanted to smile at finally hearing the boy talk, but he couldn't. Seeing his face so tired and drained of color made it hard to be happy. He hated having to see Derek so sick.

"It's in the wash." Aaron answered, setting down his book.

Derek coughed before he forced out a quiet, "I need it."

"It's still getting cleaned." Aaron placed his hand on Derek's forehead, hoping the fever had gone down, "I can grab you a different one if you'd like."

"No. No. You don't understand. I-I need it." Derek cried, "I-it was my dad's. I-I can't sleep without it. I need it."

"Calm down Derek. Just breathe. It'll be okay. Once it's clean you can have it back. You need to calm down or you'll make yourself sick again." Aaron moved the boy into his lap and hugged him.

Derek didn't fight, he didn't want to, Aaron was warm, "I-I need it." He mumbled, burying his face into the man.

"I know." Aaron kissed the side of Derek's head and rubbed his back.

"I need it. Please." Derek pleaded.

"You can have it back soon. We aren't trying to keep it from you." Aaron replied.

"Where's Papa?" Derek asked quietly.

"He's making dinner right now. It should be done soon." Aaron answered, "Do you think you'll be able to keep something down?"

Derek shook his head. It didn't matter anyway, he wasn't hungry. He was just tired. Even after sleeping all afternoon, or he assumed he was sleeping, he still felt he was going to fall asleep any second.

Aaron noticed the boy struggling to stay awake, "Do you want me to leave so you can sleep?"

"No. Stay, please." Derek coughed out, "It's hard to sleep without my hoodie. Having someone here helps."


	15. Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back bitches!

The younger kids had already piled into Dave's car to leave for school. Before the man could join he was stopped by his eldest daughter. The look on her face told him that she had something important to say but was nervous about telling him.

"Papa?" Emily looked up at her father somewhat nervously.

"Yes, Emily?" Dave gave his full attention to the young girl.

Emily cleared her throat, "I, uh, I found this in Derek's room a few days ago."

Emily handed Derek's pocket knife to Dave. He was confused, he didn't notice what the issue was at first. Then he saw it. The man flipped the blade up and found it covered in blotches of dried blood.

Derek looked back at the teen, "Thank you, Emily. You get going to school."

Dave pulled back into the garage after dropping off the kids and dialed Aaron's number. He explained the situation, told him about what Emily had found. His husband was going to try to get off of work early so they could talk to Derek. Neither of them were looking forward to it, but it had to be done at some point.

With Aaron caught up Dave finally went back inside, checking on Derek before going to work in his office. Derek had still been asleep, he was grateful for that, the kid hadn't been able to get much sleep the night before.

Dave heard quiet footsteps in the hallway. He peaked out of his office to find Derek, standing just outside of the doorway awkwardly. It was obvious that the teen needed something, but he wasn't saying anything.

"Hey Kiddo. How are you feeling?" Dave asked, placing his backhand on the teen's forehead.

"I feel like shit." Derek mumbled.

"I bet. You've still got a fever." Dave informed him, "Did you need something?"

"Uh... Yesterday, Dad said he wanted to talk. We never actually got around to it." Derek answered, "It's just been bugging me. Do you know what he wanted to talk about?"

Dave sighed, "Yeah, I do. Dad and I still want talk about it, but we need to wait until Dad gets home."

"Alright." Derek replied softly, he just wanted to know what they were going to talk about he still didn't want to have that conversation.

"It's about lunch time. Do you think you can keep any food down?" Dave asked, finally noticing just how long he'd been working before Derek woke up.

"Maybe." Derek shrugged, he was hungry but he didn't want to vomit again.

"You should definitely try. You haven't eaten anything in almost twenty four hours." Dave replied, "What do you feel like? I can make us something."

"I don't really care."

Lunch didn't end up being anything special, just sandwiches. It was quite, neither of them said anything. Derek was still to worried about what Aaron could possibly want to talk about, and Dave could see that his son wasn't in the mood for talking.

Derek regretted not saying anything when he started question the situation more. Did they want him to leave? Was he in trouble for something? Maybe they found out about Buford somehow and they were disgusted with him. Maybe it was John, they knew about John. 

The kid was finally pulled away from his thoughts when he heard Mudgie barking at something in the backyard. He stared out the window, watching the dog run around in the grass.

"Am I allowed to let Mudgie inside?" Derek asked quietly.

Dave looked up from what he was doing, a little surprised by the request, he'd never asked about it before, "Sure, Kiddo. Just please keep an eye on him so he doesn't get into anything or get on the furniture."

Derek stood up from the table as soon as he had his answer, "Thanks."

Once Derek had disappeared with the dog Dave returned to his work. It wasn't particularly exciting, but it wasn't the worst thing he could think of doing with his time.

Dave was pulled away from his work when he heard his phone buzz. Aaron had texted. He needed to find Derek and tell him. The man walked into the family room, finding Derek lying on the floor next to the dog.

"Hey." Derek smiled up at the man.

Dave smiled back, "Hey. Dad's going to be home in a few minutes. We're going to have that talk as soon as he gets home."

"Okay." Derek sat up, turning his gaze to Mudgie and scratching the dog's head so he wouldn't have to look at Dave, "Could we do it in my room? I just... I don't know. I think it would make me more comfortable."

"Of course we can. Just don't climb out the window before we can talk."

Derek laughed a bit at Dave's joke. He let the dog back into the backyard before he went back to his room, he'd debated brining Mudgie with him, but decided against it. He didn't want to sit on the floor anymore and Mudgie wasn't allowed on the furniture, so it made more sense.

With no dog around Derek needed something else to keep himself calm. He sat on his bed and grabbed his sisters old bear. He tucked his knees into his chest, pulled the sleeves of his sweatshirt over his hands and hugged the bear, burying his face into the once plush fabric. The memories of home flooded back. No sad images, no bad memories, it was only the good things.

Derek was pulled back to the painful reality when his bedroom door creaked open. He looked up to see Aaron and Dave. Dave sat down at the foot of the bed and Aaron grabbed the chair from Derek's desk. He already knew it was going to be a serious conversation and their faces only confirmed it further.

Aaron hadn't been able to think about anything but this conversation ever since he got that call, "Derek, yesterday I got a call from Jason Ryder." He saw the teen's face drop, "He told me what you two talked about. This is a serious issue, if you're having suicidal thoughts you need to talk to someone."

"I know, that's why I called Jason." Derek replied, looking down so he wouldn't meet the two men's eyes.

Aaron sighed, "I'm glad that you called him, I really am, but you need to talk to a professional. If this is a serious issue for you then you need to talk to a professional."

Derek tried to say something but he couldn't. He couldn't get anything out. He didn't want to talk to a professional. It was hard enough for him to talk to people he knew, he couldn't just let everything out to a stranger.

He still couldn't bring himself to look at Aaron or Dave. The things they must have been thinking about him. He couldn't meet their eyes, he didn't want to see the shame. Instead of facing their disappointment Derek just stared down at his hands.

Dave held out the pocket knife and Derek was terrified, "Emily found this in your room. Derek, have you been hurting yourself?"

"I... I never tried to kill myself, I swear, I just... I needed to feel something." The teen searched for words, they didn't come easily, "I get caught up in my head and I feel numb. I don't like it. I need to feel something." He didn't know how to explain what he'd been feeling, or why he did what he did.

"Derek. Kiddo, you can talk to us. When you feel that way, we will listen to you." Dave explained, placing his hand gently on his son's shoulder, "Whatever is going on, you can tell us."

"I know." Derek sniffled, "Thank you."


	16. Big Brother

Dave was a little upset that it was Emily who had to call and say that Derek was not well enough to go to practice. He'd insisted that he felt better, which wasn't a lie, but that didn't mean he was ready to go to practice.

Of course, it also had to be the day that Emily was busy after school. Dave had to call Penelope to say that he might be a little late because he had to pick up Derek first. Of course Penelope didn't seem to mind.

Once they got the the middle school JJ and Penelope were waiting in the front. The girls climbed into the back of the vehicle. They waited for Spencer while Penelope told them about her day. Spencer wasn't usually late, but it happened on occasion.

Derek spotted Spencer near the front of the school. Some eighth grader was shoving him around. The teen tried to control his anger until he saw the other kid shove Spencer to the ground. Luckily he wasn't the only one who noticed, but he still hopped out of the car before Dave could say anything.

"Hey jackass!" Derek yelled.

He rushed over to the scene and pulled the kid off of Spencer. The kid glared down at Derek. Though the boy was probably a little bit younger than Derek he was a little taller. He was closer to Emily's height then Derek's.

"You leave him alone." Derek snapped.

The kid smirked, "What are you gonna do about it?" Pushing Derek's shoulder.

"Leave him alone, or I swear to God, I'll make you regret it."

The other boys simply laughed. He looked over to Spencer who was trying to scramble for his things without his glasses. Once Spencer had gathered his stuff and found his glasses, the eighth grader stomped on the frames, just missing Spencer's hand. He pulled Spencer up and grabbed him by the back of his neck.

When Derek saw this he didn't hesitate driving his fist into the kid's jaw. He let go of Spencer instantly and Derek pulled the nine year old behind him.

The younger boy scowled, "You just-"

"I warned you." Derek replied, "If you'd left him alone, this wouldn't have happened."

Spencer could tell that this didn't sit well with the younger teen. Derek's remark was met with a fist to the eye. It wasn't that bad, he'd been hit worse in fights, but it sure pissed him off. The next thing Spencer knew he was watching Dave pull his foster brother off of the bully.

A woman had run over to the bully, helping him back to his feet. She was frantic. Searching the other boy for visible injuries. Derek hadn't been able to get more than a few hits before he'd been pried off, so the damage wasn't too bad.

Derek fidgeted in the mans hold trying to get free. Dave didn't loosen his grip, Derek didn't need to get himself into anymore trouble.

"I am so sorry." Dave apologized.

Dave followed the kids into the house. He sent Spencer and the girls to their rooms, bringing Derek with him to his office. Aaron was waiting for them in the small room. He was fuming.

Dave shook his head, "You are so lucky. These schools don't tolerate this kind of behavior. Do you know what would have happened if you two hadn't been let off with a warning? You could have gotten suspended or expelled! They would have cut you from the football team!"

"What were you thinking?" Aaron chimed in, "Starting a fight? And with a middle schooler nonetheless."

"What did you want me to do? Just sit there and let him beat up on Spencer?" Derek asked, glaring up at the two men.

"You did not need to respond the way that you did." Aaron replied.

"He needed help and that kid was an asshole! Did you want me to just sit around and watch."

"Derek we didn't say that." Dave sighed.

"Well, that's sure as hell what it sounds like. You don't care what actually happens to us do you? As long we look like a perfect little family you don't give a shit!" Derek stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

He didn't even have to think. He opened his bedroom window and used the smaller ledge to help himself grab onto the rain gutter, then hoist himself up on to the roof. All of his focus was on getting onto the roof, he hadn't even noticed when Spencer opened the door.

Derek sat alone on the roof. He wasn't thinking about anything. He didn't want to think about anything. About what was going to happen. About what he did. About what he said. He knew he was going to be sent away, and he couldn't think about that.

"Derek?" A small voice caught the teen's attention.

Derek looked up to see Spencer climbing off of a ladder on to the roof, "Spencer be careful. It's dangerous up here."

"Then why are you up here?" The nine year old asked.

"I don't know." Derek assmitted, "How did you know I was up here?"

"I saw you climb up from your window." Spencer slowly made his way over to the teen, afraid that he was going to fall, "Are you in trouble?"

"Yeah." Derek nodded.

Spencer looked ashamed, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault kid. It's mine." Derek replied, he looked up at Spencer and noticed some bruises he hadn't before, "How are you doin'?"

"I'm okay." Spencer answered, avoiding Derek's eyes.

"You should sit down so you don't fall." Derek patted a spot next to him.

With a small smile, Spencer plopped himself down next to Derek, "How are you? Does your eye hurt?"

"A little, but it's fine." Derek shrugged, "You know I don't understand those dicks, what's so great about making someone else suffer? Especially a nine year old."

"Most bullies have a superiority complex or a self hatred that manifests itself in aggression toward others." Spencer explained.

Derek laughed a bit, this kid knew everything, "Well, hopefully he learned not to do that anymore. Especially not to you."

"I think he did." Spencer smiled, "I'm happy you're my big brother." He announced.

Derek wrapped his arm around Spencer, "I'm happy you're my little brother."

Derek's words echoed in Aaron's mind. He could tell that the kid hadn't meant it, but it still hurt and it got him thinking. Maybe he'd been too hard on him. He probably should have tried to be more understanding of Derek's side.

"Were we being to hard on him?" Aaron asked his husband, "He was just trying to protect Spencer."

"No, I don't think we were. I appreciate him standing up from Spencer, but there are other ways he could have handled it." Dave replied, "I could live with the first punch, but he kept going. I understand that the other boy hit back, but he could have handled it better."

Aaron and Dave didn't hear a word from Derek that evening. They assumed he was still mad at them, and Derek was assuming the same about them. They were silent with each other. Not a word spoken between them.

Later that evening, after the kids had been sent to bed, a timid knock came at Aaron and Dave's bedroom door. Derek didn't give either man a chance to speak once they opened the door.

"I'm so sorry about what I said. I didn't mean any of it." The boy explained, forcing himself to look at his foster parents.

They didn't know how to respond. They certainly hadn't been expecting this.

Derek rambled through his words, just allowing them to fall out of his mouth without a second thought, "I know I was being a jerk. I know why you were mad. I shouldn't have said that stuff. I know I keep messing up, and you shouldn't have to deal with all of that, but please don't make me leave. I-I can't start over again. I like it here. I was just mad earlier, I never meant any of it." He broke down into tears, "I don't want to leave. I like it here. Please don't send me away, please."

"Oh Derek. We aren't going to make you leave. Especially not over this." Aaron replied, trying to keep his own tears from falling, he couldn't believe Derek thought they didn't want him, "We love you, we don't want you to leave." 

Dave wrapped his arms around his son, "Those things hurt, but we know you didn't mean them. Even if you did, it wouldn't change anything. We couldn't ask for a better kid."

Aaron joined his husband hugging their son. Derek melted into the touch. He never wanted to leave. He never wanted this to end. And they weren't going to let that happen, he was going to stay.


	17. Clooney

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite chapters that I've written.

Dave woke up not long after four a.m, he quickly answered when he saw Derek's caller ID, "Derek?"

He could hear Derek swallow nervously, "Pops? Please don't be mad."

"Don't be mad about what? Where are you?" Dave asked frantically.

"I'm just off of the property by the road. I need you to come get me." Derek replied, not giving any further explanation.

"What are you doing out there? Are you hurt?" Dave panicked.

"I'm fine, just please hurry."

Dave can't remember putting shoes on, or the drive itself. All he remembers is when he pulled up to the spot off the the side of the road where Derek was standing. Derek was shivering, but for some reason had insisted on holding his jacket instead of wearing it. He hoped out of the car and jogged over to him.

"Are you okay? Why are you out here?" Dave asked frantically.

Derek moved part of the jacket to reveal a malnourished german shepherd puppy, "I can't leave him here. If he stays out here he'll starve, or freeze to death, or something could eat him, or-"

Dave didn't know how to respond, could he really be mad at his son for rescuing a dog? "Get into the car. We can talk when we get back to the house."

Once they were both in the car with heater on Dave was a bit less freaked out. He took a deep breath to calm down a bit more. There was no way he could just let go of the fact that Derek ran off in the middle of the night again.

"What the hell were you doing out there?" Dave asked finally.

"I couldn't sleep. Just went to clear my head. I brought my pocket knife and a flashlight I wasn't in the dark without any protection." The teen kept his head down and his voice quiet, "I never meant to go that far but when I got closer I could hear him crying. I couldn't just leave him there."

"You had your pocket knife? Where did you find that?"

Derek didn't look up, "In the garage. You guys didn't do a good job of hiding it. I didn't do anything with it."

Dave looked back at his foster son. That was when he noticed the blood dripping down his arm, "Derek, you're bleeding!" It was apparent that the cuts hadn't been made by the pocket knife but it was still concerning.

"He was stuck in the barbed wire. I had to get him out." Derek replied, still not properly acknowledging the many scratches and cuts on his arm.

"We need to take you to a hospital." Dave turned the car around before the younger could reply.

"We can clean up my arm later. I'll live. He's hurt way worse." Derek insisted, gesturing to the injured puppy.

Dave couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Derek, he's a dog."

"He's hurt!" Derek yelled, flinching at his own voice when he realized what he was doing, "Please, Papa. He's already in bad shape, he could die." He could feel hot tears streaming down his face.

Dave sighed, "Okay. I'm not a vet, we probably need to take him to an animal hospital."

"Then let's take him. I'll pay for it. I don't have all of the money right now, but I'll get it. Please." Derek pleaded with the older man, "I'll do whatever it takes. I promise."

Less than a half hour later Aaron ran into the animal hospital. He spotted Derek sitting in chair, holding a rag to his forearm. The teen couldn't say anything before he was pulled into the man's arms. He couldn't bring himself to hug Aaron back.

Aaron began examining Derek, "Are you alright? Dave said you got hurt and-" Just as he started looking at Derek's arm the boy interrupted him.

"I'm fine." Derek pulled his arm away from the man.

"We need to get you to the hospital." Aaron replied quickly.

Derek shook his head, he couldn't leave now, "Dad, I need to stay here. The-"

"The vets will take care of the dog and Dave is going to stay here." Aaron kept his usual serious look, but something about it said more than usual, "You need to go to the hospital."

Derek didn't think about what was happening for most of the trip to the hospital. They'd asked him a few questions, he'd answered. He can remember their concern when he had not reaction to the stitches. No flinching, no winching. Derek just watched.

He sat in the waiting room, his knees pulled up to his chest. It was cold. Maybe it was just him. It had been awhile since the last time he hadn't worn his dad's old hoodie. Apart from football, showering, and washing the sweatshirt that is. Twice already, he'd tried to pull down the nonexistent oversized sleeves.

Derek looked up when he heard Aaron's voice. He hoped that he was cleared to go home, but he wasn't talking to a doctor, not even a nurse. The man was still standing at the receptionist's desk, on the phone.

"He's going to be fine, Dave." Aaron sighed, "He needed a few stitches but he'll be okay."

"Can I talk to him?" Derek requested upon hearing Dave's name, his voice was quiet and monotone, barely audible for the man.

"Hold on, I'm going to put him on the phone." Aaron told the other man.

Dave had only begun to talk, "Der-"

"How is he? Is he going to be okay?" Derek asked frantically.

"The puppy is fine." Dave replied, wishing Derek would care about his own condition for just five minutes, "How are you? And I don't want you to turn this back to the dog."

"I'm okay. My arm hurts, but I'll be okay." Derek answered, he didn't really want to talk about himself right now.

Dave sighed, "Derek, I know you've been through a lot and you're going through a big change, but you can't keep running away every chance you get."

"I wasn't running away." Derek mumbled.

He wasn't lying. He hadn't been running away. That was never his intention. If he'd wanted to runaway he wouldn't have called.

"I know, but you can't just run off in the middle of the night. You just needed a few stitches tonight, but next time it could be worse." Derek could hear it in the man's voice just how serious he was, "Do you have any idea how much you scared us?"

"I'm sorry." Derek whispered, his eyes clouding with tears.

"You may not realize this and I do not blame you for that, but Aaron and I really care about you. We don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Derek tried to hold back tears but they came rushing out down his cheek. He did all he could to hold back the sobs. Without another word he held the phone out to Aaron.

Aaron took the phone from his foster son and continued talking with his husband. Once he'd finished talking with Dave he started on the paperwork the hospital had given him. He couldn't stop himself from glancing back at Derek as he filled out the seemingly endless stack of papers.

"Can we go back to the vet now?" Derek asked, looking down at his hands.

"Yes we can." Aaron replied, "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to go home? You must be tired."

Derek shook his head, "I'm gonna be alright. I'd like to see the dog. Please, I need to know he's okay."

Derek looked over the dog sleeping in the vet kennel. He sat down on the floor in front of it. When a warm hand rested on his shoulder he didn't flinch. It was Dave, he knew it was. He didn't have to look to the man. They just sat next to each other on the floor.

"You know he's going to need a name." Dave spoke softly.

Derek finally looked away from the dog, "What?" He asked softly.

"We can't just call him the dog forever. Sit, the dog. The dog, heel. It just doesn't work." Dave shrugged, "You have to give your dog a name at some point."

"My dog..." Derek smiled weakly, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

"Your dog, Derek." Dave wrapped his arm around Derek and pulled him closer.

Derek leaned into the man. He slipped his finger through the bars of the kennel, gently petting the dog's paw.

"You're gonna come home Clooney." Derek smiled as tears rolled down his cheeks.


	18. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some nice fluff before the angst and heartbreak of the next chapter

When Derek brought Clooney home he was a bit nervous about how Mudgie would react. Two male dogs, one of which had been the only dog in the house for years. But Mudgie absolutely loved the puppy. He wrestle with the puppy in the yard, through he never gave it his all and usually let Clooney win.

Derek started walking them together. Mudgie behaved enough that he could focus on leash training the puppy. He was glad that Clooney was only a puppy, leash training a full grown german shepherd would have been hell.

The fourteen year old walked into the backyard and the puppy began jumping at him, "Down Clooney."

It took a few tries but eventually he got the puppy to stop jumping. When Clooney finally listened he was showered in praises and belly rubs.

"You wanna go for a walk?" Derek asked playfully, getting the younger dog to get right back on his feet.

Mudgie came running when he heard Derek say the word 'walk'. He planted himself in front of the boy, sitting down with his tail wagging frantically. Mudgie didn't move from his spot while Derek grabbed the leashes.

"Can we come with you?" A small voice asked from the doorway.

Derek turned to find JJ and Spencer standing just inside. Both of the kids already had shoes and jackets on, Derek couldn't just tell them no. Especially not when Spencer had pulled those damn puppy dog eyes. No one could say no to that face.

Derek smiled, "Come on."

The younger kids followed Derek down the road. JJ was enjoying the sights of the area, she never really walked down the path, she usually only say this stretch of road through the car window. Spencer kept looking down at the young puppy trotting along side Derek. 

"Wanna hold the leash?" Derek offered Clooney's leash to Spencer.

Spencer smiled up at the older boy, "Yeah." He nodded.

Derek handed Spencer the leash, making it was still within arms reach, just incase it slipped out of the little boy's hands. The smile on Spencer's face was unignorable. Not that Derek would want to ignore it, but he would have hated to miss it.

The younger kids didn't find walking the dogs to be as exciting as they thought it would be, but they still had fun. Derek even showed them a few cool spots he'd found in the trees where they might be able to make a fort. JJ and Spencer were really excited about that, they were asking their parents if they could build a fort as soon as they walked through the door after the walk.

With the dogs playing the backyard Derek hung the leashes on the hooks on the wall by the back door. He had just jumped onto the sofa and started scrolling through social media on his phone when Penelope walked in.

"Good afternoon Chocolate Thunder, care to accompany me to the mall?" Penelope asked, smiling brightly at the boy.

"I'm not exactly in the shopping mood." Derek shrugged, dropping his phone onto his chest.

Penelope pouted, "Come on, please? I need an escort and Emily won't come."

"Alright, alright." Derek agreed, "Anything for my queen."

The two teens were dropped off at the mall, with the instruction to be waiting for their parents outside in an hour and a half. Derek would have preferred to go home sooner, but he was willing to stay for Penelope. She likely wanted to stay longer, but she didn't say anything about it.

Penelope and Derek explored a lot of shops, mostly just messing around, but occasionally they would actually buy something. Penelope tried on a pair of bright pink sunglasses, she liked them but had no real intention of buying them. She grabbed Derek's attention and playfully struck a pose.

"What do you think?" The young girl giggled at her own goofy actions.

Derek laughed when he saw her ridiculous pose, "They're just your style Penny."

Penelope put the sunglasses back on the rack and looked up, "Oh my God, it's Luke Alvez." She muttered when she saw who was walking through the mall just outside of the shop.

"Who?" Derek turned around to see who she was looking at. 

He saw a few kids around the same age as Penelope and himself. They were all boys, so Derek couldn't pinpoint who she was talking about exactly.

"Stop looking at him." Penelope turned the other teen around, "He's just some guy from my English class."

Derek smirked, "Oh, you've got a crush."

"What? No!" Penelope crossed her arms across her chest, "Of course not. I don't even like him. He's annoying and immature-"

"You're going to complain about someone being immature?" Derek gestured to the girl's rainbow unicorn purse.

"That's different." Penelope pouted.

"Go talk to him Pen." Derek suggested, "He'd be stupid to not like you and you know that."

Penelope rolled her eyes, "I already know he likes me."

Derek didn't understand her issue, "Then why not talk to him?" It all made sense to him, but then again they have very different ways of thinking.

"I already told you I don't like him." Penelope insisted, "He's annoying. He's always trying to flirt with me."

"You like him. You know you do." Derek replied, nudging his foster sister, "Just go say hi."

"Not a chance." Penelope turned around and headed straight for a different shop.

Derek ran after her, "Come on Sweetness. You can't just avoid it forever."

"I can and I will." Penelope was determined, it wasn't exactly a far fetched idea.

Derek linked arms with the younger girl, "Alright. Let's just finish shopping."

Derek was the first to climb into the car when Aaron arrived to pick the kids up from the mall. He was ready to leave. Penelope almost argued to stay a little longer, but she knew her dad wouldn't be too happy about that.

Dave was waiting inside for his husband and kids when they got home. Aaron sent Penelope off to her room, but Derek was guided over to the sofa. He tried not to question it too much and sat down without saying a word.

Dave placed his hand on Derek's shoulder, "Hey Kiddo, we need to talk to you about something."

Derek tensed, "Uh, okay." He smiled nervously.

"It's nothing bad, you aren't in trouble or anything." Dave assured him, rubbing his shoulder, "I promise."

"Okay, what's up?" Derek asked, letting out a shaky breath. He wasn't completely convinced that there was nothing wrong, but he could listen to what they had to say.

Aaron sat down across from the boy, "You're eligible for adoption. Dave and I wanted to know if we could adopt you?"

Derek's eyes went wide, "For real? You wanna adopt me?"

"Of course we do. What do you think, Derek?" Dave asked, he held his breath, though unknowingly. 

He was nervous, he loved this kid, so did his husband. He wanted to adopt Derek more than anything, but it was Derek's choice, not his.

Derek smiled, he smiled brighter than either of the men had ever seen him smiled before, "Yes! Thank you!"

Neither of them could say they were caught of guard by Derek hugging them, but they still found themselves knocked onto the ground. They didn't hesitate hugging their son back.


	19. Locker Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning, this chapter will contain sexual assault. It isn’t graphic, but it’s there.

Derek hadn't expected his talk with the coach to take as long as it did. Quite a few of his teammates were still in the locker room by the time he'd finished. He wouldn't have cared if he was alone, with the whole, team just a few, or just one. None of that mattered. 

He'd been moved to the varsity team. He was too excited to care about anything else. It had taken so long, they were already over halfway into the season.

The young teen began stuffing his cleats and practice jersey into his bag. He'd received a few congratulations on making varsity. He of course thanked them, but most of his focus was on packing up so he could get home to tell everyone.

"D, welcome to varsity, my man." John smiled, patting Derek's shoulder.

Derek swallowed and took a deep breath, "Thanks man." he forced a smile, and went straight back to packing up.

"We should do something to celebrate." John spoke just loud enough for Derek to hear and no one else.

"I think I'd rather just go home, John." Derek replied, gathering the last of his things, "My ride is probably waiting for me anyway."

"See ya guys tomorrow." The last of their teammates called out, leaving the locker room.

"See ya Jones." John called after him.

Derek tried to follow after the other senior and leave the locker room. He was stopped when a firm hand jerked back on his shoulder. The older boy's warm breath hit the back of his neck and he froze. It wasn't his choice, he'd wanted to run, but his body didn't want to listen.

Derek's breathing hitched and he did everything he could not to cry. A tear still managed to slide down his cheek. He felt a thumb gently wipe it away.

"Come on Derek. We worked hard for this. Let's celebrate. Let’s have some fun, baby." John whispered directly into the frozen fourteen year old's ear.

Derek wanted to scream and yell, but nothing would come out. He could fight against the other boy. He could try. John might be able to over power him in a real fight, but he could away at least. If he could get his body to move.

Why couldn’t he just get it to listen. He wanted to run. To scream. To fight. But nothing happened.

Derek was still. Frozen where he stood.

Emily looked at the time on her phone again. She'd been sitting in the parking lot for more than a half hour. Derek had texted earlier saying that he wasn't going to stay late with John. He'd already told her that he most likely made varsity, there was no reason to stay if he didn't need the older boy's help.

That boy wasn't just a mentor to Derek. Emily knew that for sure. She'd never liked John, but she wanted to trust Derek. She wanted to believe that there was nothing there but she didn't. Something told her that something else was going on and whatever it was it was not good.

She'd already texted and got no reply, so she finally called Derek's phone, but there was no answer. Why couldn't he answer his Goddamn phone? She was beginning to get less annoyed and more concerned. There was no response and no sign of Derek.

Emily turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition. She climbed out of the car, not caring that it was parked in the middle of drop off lane, and headed to the school's side door by the gym. The door was still propped from the football players. The coach hadn't left yet, luckily, if he had she wouldn't have had a way into the building.

The coach was in the P.E. office, likely doing school work from his classes. Emily knocked on the door frame, snatching his attention away from the computer screen. He knew Emily from his first hour class the year prior.

"Hey, Emily." The man smiled.

"Hey. Do you know where Derek is?" Emily asked.

The coach continued on a bit of work, "I think he's still in the locker room." He answered, gesturing down the hall with a nod.

Emily got a bad feeling, "Has John left yet?" She was a little frantic.

"No. I don't think so." The man replied, confused at Emily's sudden change of tone.

That simple answer rang in the young girl's ears.

He was still in there with Derek. She didn't think twice. Before a second thought crossed her mind, Emily was storming into the boys' locker room. She didn't give a shit how much trouble she would get into, something was wrong, she could feel it.

The coach jumped up and ran after the teen, "Emily! You can't go into the men's locker room!"

Emily could have gone her whole life without seeing the things she did, but she never once regretted going into that locker room. Finding Derek, being held against the lockers, with an older boy's hand down his pants. When she saw her brother, her heart broke, but the second her eyes focused on the older boy, her heart ache was the last thing on her mind. 

Derek tried to focus on anything but what was going on. He didn't want to feel those hands, but he still could. He couldn't open his eyes, he couldn't do it. Buford had done so much worse, but he couldn't bare to see it. He could hear something, but he couldn't make out what it was.

Then it happened all at once. He couldn't feel John's hands anymore. Then the yelling started. It wasn't in his head. It wasn't being directed at him. It was Emily. Oh God, it was Emily.

"Get away from my brother! Don't you ever fucking touch him!" Emily yelled, he could hear her, "I swear to God, if you so much as look at him again, I'll fucking kill you!"

"Emily." Another voice called out, getting Emily to stop.

Derek opened his eyes and found John a few steps away from him, holding his jaw. He turned his head to see Emily. He could see the anger in her eyes. Her hands were still clenched into tight fists.

John took on step towards the siblings and felt a hand on his shoulder, "I can't believe you, Jonathan. Come on." The coach pulled him away from the younger teens and out of the locker room.

Emily pulled Derek towards her, wrapping her arms around him protectively. Derek buried his face into her and he let himself cry. The older never once loosened her hold, not even for a second. She didn't try to stop herself from crying. She let those few tears fall down her cheeks and kissed the top of Derek's head.

They could hear when the door opened. Derek didn't move, he kept his face hidden away in his sister's shoulder. Emily did turn her head. When she saw the police officer she smiled, for a brief second she smiled.

"It's over. It's all over. He's not going to touch you again." Emily whispered, kissing the top of her little brother's head once again, "I promise."


	20. Home...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Suicide Attempts

Emily wrapped her arm around Derek as they walked out of the school. Derek didn't dare move away from his sister until he saw Dave in the parking lot.

"Papa!" Derek ran to hug the man, crying into his chest.

"I've got you Derek. It's going to be okay, Kiddo." Dave whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around his son.

"Where's Dad?" Derek asked.

"He's dropping the other kids off at a friend's for the night. He'll meet us at the station." Dave explained.

Derek never wanted to relive it again, but he had to give a statement. Emily, and his parents stayed with him the whole time, but that didn't make it any better. It kept playing through his head, over and over. When it stopped there was screaming in his mind. It was screaming at him.

When they pulled into the driveway he should have been relieved. He was hope. Everything was going to be okay. But he was scared, ashamed, disgusted. Being hope. Being with his family. It wasn't helping.

You're home. It's okay now. You're home. Home is safe.

Derek repeated these words over and over in his mind. Why couldn't he convince himself that it was true? He knew it was true, but why was he still telling himself that it wasn't? He'd been there. He'd been in Derek's room.

You didn't say no. You didn't say no. You wanted it, you know you did. If you didn't you would have said something. You wanted it! Everyone knows. They all know now. Look at them they're disgusted. They know all of the things you let him do to you.

Why won't it go away? It's over now. Why can't it just stop?

Derek shut himself in the bathroom. Dave and Aaron had tried to talk to him through through the door but he told them he was fine. They surely didn't believe him but they let him be.

He turned on the shower head as hot as it could possibly go. He shoot under the spray, scrubbing his body down raw until the water ran cold. He got dressed in sweats and his dad's old hoodie, still not leaving the small area.

When the mirror cleared he could stand what he saw. It was the same face he'd been staring at for years, but tonight, he couldn't take it. Before he'd even had a second thought his was pulling pain killers out of the cabinet and trying to pull the cap off.

Why couldn't he get the stupid lid off? Why wouldn't it just come off!? Stupid shaky hands. Stupid Goddamn child proof caps. 

Derek ripped off the cap and poured the contents of the bottle into his hand. Only four painkillers fell into his palm. He took them dry and rummaged shakily through the cabinets for more. Another bottle was hidden in the back with a few other medications. He twisted the cap, trying desperately to open it. He'd managed to get the bottle open, he had it up to his mouth when the door opened.

"Derek!"

Aaron couldn't believe what he was seeing. Derek was downing painkillers and an empty bottle already sat on the counter top. He grabbed his son, wrapping his arms around the boy so his arms were restrained. The pill bottle fell to the floor with a clank and the rest of the painkillers spilled over the tile.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Derek screamed, trying to fight his way out of the man's arms, "Let me go. Let me go. Let me go..," his voice died down as he broke into sobs.

"Shh. Shh. It's gonna be okay. I've got you. You're gonna be okay." Aaron whispered.

"L't me go." Derek sobbed, weakly trying to shove himself away from the man, "Please, just let me go."

"I can't do that. You know I can't." Aaron replied, tears now falling down his own face, "We just got you in our lives, Derek, we can't lose you. Especially not now."

Aaron looked over at his husband and daughter. Emily grabbed her phone without being verbally told. Dave joined Aaron in trying to calm their son.

Dave was pacing the hallway while Aaron sat next to their daughter, holding her hand. He wasn't sure if it was more for her comfort or his own. All of their heads shot up when the doctor walked out.

Emily jumped up out of her seat, "How is he?"

"He's going to be alright. He was nowhere near an overdose, but he took a decent amount more than the recommended dosage for someone his age and weight." The doctor explained, "Because he is on suicide watch we are going to need to keep him here, at least for the night to make sure he doesn't try anything."

"Are we allowed to see him?" Aaron asked.

"Go ahead." The doctor nodded.

Derek was asleep when they first went to see him. Aaron and Dave wished that they didn't have to be there. That there son did have to feel the way that he did, but they couldn't change what had happened. One thing was for sure, they were going to do everything in their power to help him get better.

Dave stood up, fishing his keys out of his pocket, "I'm taking Emily to Jason's with the other kids."

"What? No, I'm staying here!" Emily protested.

"Emily, listen to him, you are not staying the night here." Aaron agreed with the older man.

The young girl refused to leave, "That's my little brother you can't expect me to just-"

"And your other younger siblings are at Jason's." Dave interrupted, "I promise he'll be fine. Right now I need you with the rest of the kids."

Aaron returned to Derek's room once his husband and daughter left. He was happy to find Derek awake. He sat down in the chair next to the bed.

Aaron debated grabbing his son's hand but felt it wasn't the best choice, "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Why couldn't you just let me do it?" Derek asked weakly, "Why couldn't you just let me take the damn pills?"

"Derek, I wasn't about to lose you." Aaron explained, "You're my son and I love you. I'm not going to let you go that easy."

"I can't do this anymore! It was all my fault and now-"

"Derek. Derek, look at me." Aaron grabbed his son's face, being careful not to hurt him, "This is not your fault. This was never your fault."

Derek shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, "I never told him no! I never said no..." He looked away from Aaron, he couldn't bare to look him in the eye.

"Hey, look at me. Derek, look at me." Aaron refused to break eye contact with his son, he knew Derek didn't want to look at him, but he needed to know that he meant every word he was about to say, "That doesn't matter. Whether you said no or not makes no difference. This is not your fault. It never was your fault. Abuse of any kind is never the victim's fault. There is no excuse for what he did to you."

Derek shook his head, "It keeps happening. Everywhere I go. Why can't it just stop."

"What keeps happening? What happened?" Aaron asked, "Please tell me. I understand if you don't want to but I want to help."

"I want to tell you. I just..." Derek bit his lip, "I can't. Not right now."

Aaron grabbed his son's hand, gently stroking the back with the pad of his thumb, "Papa and I are setting up a time for you to meet with a psychologist, is that okay?"

"Yeah." Derek nodded.

"Good. We want to help. We want you to get better." Aaron replied, kissing the top of his son's head.

Dave returned to the hospital to find his husband and son lying in the hospital bed together. He could overhear Aaron telling a story about him to their son. Embarassing or not, it was worth Derek hearing it if it meant that Dave got to hear him laugh.

"You've got the story all wrong. It was Jason Gideon who took the dare." Dave insisted as he sat down at the end of the bed.

Aaron rolled his eyes, "Jason insists that it was you."

Derek looked over to his Papa, "Who's Jason?"

"An old family friend. He used to work with me before he retired." Dave explained, "You can meet him when we pick up your siblings tomorrow."

"Are you gonna stay here with me tonight?" Derek asked.

"Yeah, we can stay with you." Aaron smiled.

Dave rubbed the teen's shoulder, "We aren't going anywhere Kiddo."


	21. Dogs

Derek was in the backyard petting the dogs when he heard the back door open. Derek didn't think anything of it.

"Hey." Penelope smiled.

Derek looked up from the dogs and smiled at his sister, "Hey Pen."

"What cha up to?" The younger teen asked quietly.

"I was going to take Clooney and Mudgie for a walk. Wanna come? You can hold Clooney's leash." Derek offered, as he clipped the dogs' leashes to their collars.

"Sure! Let me grab my shoes." Penelope ran back into the house and put on her glittery pink sneakers.

Penelope was unusually quiet at the start of the walk. Derek was worried that something was wrong. Usually she would have talked his ears off my now.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but what happened? Daddy wouldn't tell us what was going on when he took us to Uncle Gideon's. Then Papa brought Emily and she was really worried about you. Then I got worried." Penelope rambled, "I just need to know what's going on. I completely understand if you don't want to talk to me but-"

"Pen, Pen. Breathe." Derek placed his free hand on Penelope's shoulder, "Let's go somewhere we can sit down."

Derek directed Penelope down a different path than he usually took. Clooney just scrambled alongside them, excited to be out for a walk. Mudgie was confused by the change but he too got excited when he realized where they were headed.

The older kid lead the way to a river, just off of their property. He let Mudgie off of the leash just before the lab could drag him through the river.

"We're going to let them off their leashes?" Penelope asked.

"Mudgie won't run off and Clooney will go wherever Mudgie goes." Derek explained as he unhooked the younger dog's collar from the leash, "Let's go sit down."

Derek directed Penelope over to a log a few feet away from the river bank. Penelope sat next to her older brother. She kept her gaze on the dogs at first. As much as she wanted to know what was going on and help Derek, she was nervous to find out.

"Last night... I uh..." Derek began, getting the girl to look his direction, "There was this guy on my football team, he... He liked to do things to me."

"Oh my God. Derek, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked, if you don't want to talk we can go home."

"It's alright. I need to talk about it." Derek let out a shaky breath, "Last night Emily found out. Papa came to the school while Dad was taking you guys to Gideon's house. When we got home, I was just... Everything was so messed up in my head, I couldn't take it. I tried to kill myself. I wasn't thinking, I'd thought about it before, but I'd never tried to actually do it until last night."

Derek and Penelope didn't say anything to each other. Penelope didn't know what to say. And Derek didn't have anything to say.

Penelope caught the older teen by surprise when she pulled him into a tight hug. Derek relaxed in her arms and wrapped his arms around her. He held onto her tighter than he ever had. He felt safe. He felt safe with Penelope. With all of his family.

"I wish I could have been there to help. You never should've had to go through that. I'm so sorry." Penelope mumbled into Derek's shoulder before breaking off the hug.

Derek roughly wiped a tear from his cheek and ended them before any more could fall, "It's alright Pretty Lady. I'm okay, Dad and Papa have me going to see a psychologist in a few days. I'll be fine."

"But you hate talking to people about your emotions. I know that. Especially not strangers, I know that sometimes you can talk to me, but even then you don't like to do that." Penelope tried to dry the tears on her face, but she was just so worried, they kept coming, "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay." Derek nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek, "I don't want to feel like this anymore. I don't want to go talk to some lady I don't know, but it's supposed to help, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm sorry for making you tell me all of that." Penelope apologize, looking down at her shoes to avoid Derek's gaze,

Derek gently lifted Penelope's head, "You didn't make me do anything, it was all my choice." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "You know I love you right?"

Penelope smiled and put her head on her big brother's shoulder, "Yeah, I know. I love you too, Chocolate Thunder."

The two were so wrapped up in comforting each other that they didn't notice the wet blobs of fur running toward them. It wasn't until Mudgie shook off and Clooney leaped into Derek's lap that they realized the dogs were ready to go home. Clooney seemed to have had enough excitement for the day, before the kids could even react to his presence he was falling asleep in his owner.

"Come on Clooney, Now I'm all wet and muddy." Derek laughed while scratching the sleepy puppy's head.

"I guess it's time to go home." Penelope replied, grabbing the leashes.

The walk home was much happier than the walk their, and their discussion was much more what they liked to talk about than what they'd talk about at the river. They the time they reached the driveway the dogs were still wet and muddy, but no longer dripping. 

"What happened to you guys?" Dave laughed.

"Took a trip to the river, then Clooney decided to take a nap on top of me." Derek explained. 

"Alright, just don't let them inside until they've each had a bath and are dry. And you two better not track mud through my house."

"We won't Papa." Penelope assured him before running off with Derek to the back yard.

They filled the small plastic pool that they had specifically for bathing the dogs. They were only half through giving Clooney his bath when Spencer wandered out.

"Can I help?" The kid had never helped give Mudgie a bath before, so he really wanted to help with Clooney.

"Sure kid. Just come over here and start washing the mud off." Derek moved over a bit so the little boy could kneel next to him, "Just don't let him run off."

"Got it." Spencer nodded.

JJ joined them soon after. They still hadn't finished washing Clooney when Penelope accidentally splashed Derek with the soapy water. Derek splashed her back, getting JJ wet as well. JJ joking threw some of the foamy bubbles at the boys and things escalated from there.

Emily was walking the the family room to plug in her phone when she heard the ruckus outside. She opened the screen door and saw her siblings chasing each other around the yard.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked, staring at her soap covered family.

"We're giving the dogs a bath!" Spencer cheered from where he sat, fully clothed, in the middle of the small pool.

"Looks more like you're the ones getting a bath." Emily laughed.

"Don't be a fun hater." Penelope teased, "Come on!"

"I-" Before Emily could finish her sentence JJ sprayed her with the hose, "Oh, so that's how you want to play?"

"No." JJ squealed as Emily chased her with soap bubbles.

Derek, Penelope, and Spencer joined in on the chase. The dogs running around them excitedly as they all goofed off together. They got back to the pool and Derek knocked Emily into the water.

"Did you really just do that? Come here." Emily pulled Derek into the pool and rubbed some of the bubbles in his hair.

"Clooney, help!" Derek called out jokingly, the puppy came running and jumped into the pool.

Dave and Aaron laughed from where they were watching inside. In all of the chaos of their children spraying each other with water and covering each other in bubbles, the dogs were at least getting a little clean. By the time they were told to dry off for dinner, they were all piled in the small pool, with the dogs. At least they were finally getting Mudgie and Clooney cleaned up.

"Our kids are something else." Aaron smiled to his husband.

Dave and Aaron were checking on the kids later that night, making sure they were all in bed before they themselves fell asleep. They had busted Spencer for staying up reading again. Emily was no longer awake, but had fallen asleep while on her laptop. JJ, surprisingly, was still awake, she was apparently working on some sort of art project, but they still sent her to bed.

They entered Derek's room last, half expecting the kid to be missing. Instead, they found their son fast asleep. Clooney was curled up by his side his owner, snoring softly.


	22. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've done it. We're here. Aaaahhhh! The prequel stories will start being published soon, I'm starting with Emily's then Spencer's, but I don't know who to do after that. Whose story do you want to hear after Spencer's?

The reason they were visiting Chicago certainly wasn't the happiest. That wasn't going to stop Derek from making sure his family had a good time. He was going to show them all of his favorite places. When Spencer complained that he was hungry, but it wasn't late enough for dinner, Derek took them to a corner store he used to visit with his friends.

"I used to come here all the time." Derek pointed to a street corner, "That's where I had my first kiss. It was just after my girlfriend and I came here for slushies, I think."

"Your first kiss? How old were you?" Dave asked, a little shocked that the kid had already kissed someone.

"Ten, I think. Maybe nine." Derek shrugged.

At Derek's request, they were walking most places. They'd only drive if walking would take too long. According to Derek, they'd miss all of the fun stuff it they weren't on foot.

"What's that place?" Spencer asked, pointing to a building across the street.

Derek tried not to let any pain come through in his voice, "That's the community center. I used to play football there." He didn't stop to dwell on it and instead kept walking.

Aaron rubbed Derek's shoulder. He and Dave had only recently heard about Carl Buford and what he did to their son. It had been hard for Derek to admit, but if he hadn't they wouldn't have been able to get an investigation started. 

After Derek left he found a new boy. Thankfully, the police were able to find evidence of his crimes. They wanted Derek to testify against him in court. It was hard but Derek had agreed to do it. And with everything said and done, he could focus on his family.

Derek never told any stories about the community center. Emily and Penelope caught onto what was wrong, they'd over heard bits and pieces about why they'd really gone to Chicago. Luckily, JJ and Spencer didn't question his lack of stories and simply waited for their big brother to show them something else.

Derek spotted a rundown baseball field just down the street, "That's where my dad taught me to play baseball." He ran over to the fence, it hadn't changed a bit, "We should go play."

"Yeah, it sounds like fun." Penelope agreed.

"I've never played baseball." Spencer admitted.

"Come on Kid. I'll teach you." Derek offered.

"We'll need to buy a few things if we want to play." Dave reminded them.

"They've got everything at the corner store. I could run down and get everything." Derek suggested, "It won't take more than ten or fifteen minutes, promise."

"Alright, but you aren't going alone." Aaron replied.

Derek had rolled his eyes, but he actually enjoyed having his dad come along. It took a bit longer than if Derek had been going by himself, as his intentions were to literally run to the store. But they got everything back to the rest of the family soon enough. 

"Come on Spence, just focus you can do it!" JJ cheered.

"You've got this Spencer!" Derek added.

Spencer was a little frustrated and discouraged at this point. Everyone else had been able to hit the ball, but he still hadn't.

Spencer took a step back away from the plate, "What if it hits me in the face?"

"If you hit it first then that won't happen." Derek replied, "Ready?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded.

Spencer watched the ball. For a split second he thought it was going to hit him in the face. He swung the bat and he heard a clink sound. The ball hadn't actually gone far, but Spencer didn't care. He'd actually hit it!

"I hit it!" Spencer cheered.

"See Kid, I knew you could do it." Derek ran over to hug his little brother.

"Dad, Papa, did you see that?!" Spencer called out, "I hit it! I hit the ball!"

"Heck yeah, we saw Spencer." Aaron gave his youngest son a fist bump.

"That was awesome Kiddo!" Dave added, tussling the little boy's hair.

By the time they returned to the hotel, the kids were completely wore out. Spencer had even fallen asleep during the car ride. Despite this, Derek sat on his bed wide awake.

"You okay Kiddo?" Dave asked, sitting down next to his son.

"Yeah. I think." Derek replied, "Thank you."

Dave wrapped his arm around his son and pulled him closer, "For what?"

"Everything." Derek mumbled, "I love you. You know that right?"

"Of course I do. I love you too." Dave kissed the top of his son's head.

"And I love you Dad, I know you're listening." Derek spoke up a bit, but not waking his siblings.

Aaron smiled, "I love you too, Derek."

Derek still had a lot to do before he could really say that he's okay, but he's going to get there. He has his family to help him. He's not lost anymore. Derek Morgan Hotchner-Rossi had been found.


End file.
